Structured Literacy in Kindergarten: 5 Key Changes That Made All My Students Readers
IDA Ontario webinar outlining 5 key changes that educators can make in their Kindergarten classroom.
7 Mighty Moves: Research-Backed, Classroom-Tested Strategies to Ensure K-to-3 Reading Success
Reader friendly book for educators outlining 7 changes to classroom instruction to improve literacy outcomes.
The Art & Science of Teaching Primary Reading
Written for teachers by a teacher with a strong understanding of reading science, this title supports both the foundational skills and language comprehension components of reading.
Implementing Structured Literacy In the Classroom-Part 3: Putting it Together
Third webinar in the IDA Ontario structured literacy in kindergarten series.
Word Connections: A Multisyllabic Word Reading Program
Free downloadable supplemental reading intervention program for students in grades three to five who continue to need support with word reading. This program includes 40 40-minute lessons designed to be delivered in small groups, 3 – 4 times per week.
Teaching Phonemic Awareness and Word Reading Skills
In this article from the International Dyslexia Association, Al Otaiba et al. emphasize the significance of evidence-based systematic and explicit instruction. They outline the typical process through which students grasp the alphabetic principle (the concept that words consist of distinct sounds). They also provide explanations of blending and segmenting instruction, accompanied by sample activities. The article also furnishes teachers with resources for explicit and systematic reading instruction as well as examples of explicit and systematic programs for teaching phonemic awareness and phonics.
Effective Early Literacy Instruction with Dr Sonia Cabell
In this podcast interview with Kate Winn and Dr. Sonia Cabell, the focus is on the importance of early language and literacy development. Dr. Cabell highlights key considerations for instruction in several areas: oral language and conversation, alphabetics, writing and spelling, and building knowledge.
Reading Road Trip: Foundational Literacy Skills with Dr. Holly Lane
In this episode of the popular Reading Road Trip podcast, Dr. Holly Lane, the Director of the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI), unpacks key considerations for teaching foundational reading and writing skills.
Reading Road Trip: Mighty Moves for Reading Success with Lindsay Kemeny
In this podcast episode, Lindsay Kemeny highlights the “7 Mighty Moves” she made to align her early literacy instruction with research. Moves include teaching phonemic awareness with intention, teaching phonics explicitly and systematically, teaching decoding strategies, using decodable texts for beginning readers, encouraging more decoding of high-frequency words, providing meaningful fluency practice, and embracing vocabulary and knowledge instruction to support comprehension.
Structured Literacy Interventions: Teaching Students with Reading Difficulties, Grades K-6
Structured Literacy Interventions is an anthology of chapters written by many well-known names in reading science, including Louise Moats, Devin Kearns and Louise Spear-Swerling who also edited the book. Chapters cover a wide range of possible areas of reading difficulty, including phonemic awareness & word recognition, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language comprehension, reading comprehension and written expression. The title supports Strands B (Foundations of Language), C (Comprehension) and D (Composition) of the Language curriculum. Each chapter offers research-based background and practical applications for educators working with struggling students. The book includes lesson plans and application activities, and is perfect for special education and intervention teachers, but also helpful for classroom educators looking to intensify instruction for struggling students.
Heart Word Magic Dissect a Word
This activity allows students to practice dissecting Heart Words (high-frequency words) with irregular letter sound relationships by listening to the individual phonemes in a word and then filling in the corresponding spellings. They fill in a heart above the irregular part of the word that must be learned “by heart” and write that tricky part again.
Sample scripts are provided for the following words: saidfromhisofcould
This PDF includes 5 pages. Page 1 provides the overall directions, pages 2-4 provide the sample scripts and page 5 is the student spelling grid sheet.
Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read
Put Reading First is a comprehensive guide to evidence-based reading instruction. Intended for educators and administrators, this guide aims to improve reading outcomes for children in the early grades.Chapter 1 provides an overview of the essential components of effective reading instruction, such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Chapter 2 focuses on the critical early stages of reading development, emphasizing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological awareness and phonics.Chapter 3 highlights the significance of developing automaticity and prosody in reading to enhance comprehension.Chapter 4 delves into the importance of vocabulary, teaching word meanings and strategies to foster word learning.Chapter 5 explains techniques for enhancing understanding, including active engagement, monitoring, and metacognition.Practical strategies for classroom instruction include using explicit and systematic phonics lessons, providing ample opportunities for guided oral reading, incorporating vocabulary-building activities, and promoting meaningful discussions to enhance comprehension.
