9.29.20 Cindy Jiban “Grade-level” text for kindergarten and first grade: More on how reading is a team sport If you’re a reading teacher, I’m sure you’re hearing loud and clear that we need to teach all kids with complex, grade-level text. Access to that text is an equity issue. But wait: What about... Read more
9.8.20 Cindy Jiban Go, team: How parents and teachers can use Lexile measures to support young readers Leticia is in third grade, and she has a good learning team. Leticia is the star player. Then there is her dad, ready to lean in on supporting mostly remote learning this year. Meanwhile, Leticia’s... Read more
8.25.20 Stephen Marositz Reflecting on spring: 5 lessons learned to maximize K–3 fall instruction How fitting that our last day of in-person learning was Friday the 13th. I’m the vice principal at St. Barnabas Elementary School in the Bronx. That day in March I was refilling hand sanitizer when... Read more
8.20.20 Cindy Jiban The power of prosody: Why faster reading isn’t always better reading Last night, I was listening to an audiobook and thought to myself, “Now that’s some fluent reading—and so darned accurate, too!” OK, I just lied. I would never think that, because there’s... Read more
8.10.20 Elizabeth Barker 5 patterns in math skills of new kindergarteners—and 4 ways to address them As we enter an unpredictable back-to-school season, educators and administrators are hitting the ground running to prepare students for our new normal amid COVID-19. While many students received... Read more
8.4.20 Christine Pitts 3 ways to support kindergarteners this fall I forgot to register my preschooler for kindergarten this spring. I realized when I still hadn’t been contacted by his school about kindergarten registration. I panicked. My family and I sat down... Read more
7.30.20 Cindy Jiban Slides and ladders: The importance of fluency with older readers during COVID-19 This summer, my city’s public pools have been closed. I’ve missed sitting at the pool’s edge in sunglasses with a friend, and my boys have missed the high dive. We’ve all missed the big... Read more
7.20.20 Lynne Kulich 4 ways to focus on phonological awareness and tackle COVID reading loss I’m a former elementary teacher and parent of three children. My youngest son will be a senior in high school this fall. While working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I felt fortunate he... Read more
6.25.20 Cindy Jiban Let’s talk equity: Reading levels, scaffolds, and grade-level text Our students already had quite a spring. Now, they are having what looks to be quite a summer. COVID-19 introduced some serious challenges to equal educational access and opportunity. Now, we are... Read more
3.12.20 Lynne Kulich How to help third graders meet reading requirements Ask any K–3 teacher about phonics or phonological awareness and, well, be careful what you ask for! You’re likely to take a deep dive into the bowl of alphabet soup that is reading instruction... Read more
1.30.20 Erin Ryan How to make reading assessment fun and easy MAP® Reading Fluency™ has been a game changer for students and teachers. Why? Because it makes learning fun and lets teachers assess oral reading fluency, literal comprehension, and foundational... Read more
12.12.19 Derrick Vargason How to make your kindergartener a book worm This fall, my five-year-old daughter started kindergarten—and learning how to read. While she had plenty of practice with letters and their sounds in preschool, she’d never sounded out words... Read more
