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The Text Structure Box: The 5 Basic Text Structures Are a Bit Too Basic

The Text Structure Box: The 5 Basic Text Structures Are a Bit Too Basic

by Jan and Kari | Jan 25, 2025 | Strategy Instruction

 It’s surprisingly common to find upper elementary students who still need help with foundational spelling patterns, like short vowel sounds in closed syllable (CVC) words. But with older kids, not only is time of the essence—they need to catch up without missing out...
6 Truths About Strategy Instruction That Just Might Surprise You!

6 Truths About Strategy Instruction That Just Might Surprise You!

by Jan and Kari | Aug 4, 2024 | Strategy Instruction

If you teach developing readers, you are probably thinking about strategy instruction. Maybe a lot.In many classrooms, strategy instruction has been the primary vehicle for helping children develop and enhance their reading comprehension.After all, kids can’t learn to...
Are You Teaching the Key Comprehension Strategies Students Really Need

Are You Teaching the Key Comprehension Strategies Students Really Need

by Jan and Kari | May 19, 2024 | Strategy Instruction

It’s discouraging to work hard and continue to see some students struggle to comprehend despite hours and hours of strategy instruction year after year after year. You might wonder: Am I missing something? Am I teaching the “right strategies”? Are there some...
Background Knowledge: A Key to Reading Comprehension

Background Knowledge: A Key to Reading Comprehension

by Jan and Kari | Aug 22, 2021 | Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Strategy Instruction, Video, Vocabulary

All children love to become experts!  Whether learning about ancient Egypt in order to understand the latest Rick Riordon title or building knowledge about the spread of germs in a global pandemic, knowledge building is a critical aspect of reading comprehension.  In...
Talking With Children In Ways that Support Comprehension

Talking With Children In Ways that Support Comprehension

by Jan and Kari | Aug 16, 2021 | Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Strategy Instruction, Video, Vocabulary

Have you noticed?  Kids love to talk. Babies come into this world naturally wired for language development. They are ready to soak up new words through exposure, modeling, and feedback. From our first breath to our last, we humans are wired to be language...

Recent Posts

  • Some Good News About “All This Foundational Skills Instruction” (And a Few Big Ol’ Red Flags)
  • Learning from the Science of Reading + Pitfalls on the Journey to Brain-friendly Instruction
  • Cracking the Code on CVC Words (and Beyond!)
  • The Text Structure Box: The 5 Basic Text Structures Are a Bit Too Basic
  • Kindergarten Sight Words: Are We Trying to Teach Too Many?

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