by Jan and Kari | Feb 10, 2023 | Blog, Literacy Leadership, Video
It’s tempting to look for research to prove an opinion we already hold and feel deeply committed to. Kari loves dark chocolate. And she knows there’s research that shows it has many sweet benefits. Jan loves coffee.And she’s relieved to know there’s research to show...
by Jan and Kari | Jun 30, 2022 | Blog, Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Video, Vocabulary
Words! Oh, wonderful words.Serendipity, keen, disparate, convivial, camaraderie, eclectic, gratuitous, inveterate–and the list goes on and on (and on!) We are definitely lovers and learners of words ourselves, and we know you are, too! Word learning is for...
by Jan and Kari | Mar 4, 2022 | Blog, General, Literacy Leadership, Video
We’ve been thinking lately about the opposing tensions in our lives and the ways these tensions often leave us longing for a perfect balance. The idea that our lives will be in perfect balance is, of course, absurd. Nevertheless, balance as an imprecise descriptor of...
by Jan and Kari | Feb 25, 2022 | Blog, Phonics, Video, Word Reading Instruction
We think of offering brain-friendly phonics instruction as being a bit like saying, “Hey, would you like to learn to decipher a secret code? I can teach you.”So, this week, we thought it might be fun to take this secret code metaphor a bit further and offer an...
by Jan and Kari | Feb 4, 2022 | Blog, General, Literacy Leadership, Video
You may already know how much we LOVE the New Year with its fresh start and promise.But, even by the time calendar turns over to February, we can sometimes find ourselves fatiguing and starting to lose sight of our vision.It’s often easier for us to set big...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 27, 2022 | Blog, Decodable Texts, High-Frequency Words, Language Comprehension, Literacy Leadership, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Video
If you approach learning to read and write as a speech-to-print -rather than as a print-to-speech – process, . . . . . . then you will want to start by making sure children have strong oral language. And if you are going to build children’s oral language, . . .....
by Jan and Kari | Jan 21, 2022 | Blog, General, Literacy Leadership, Video
Ahh, the little prefix RE- ! Small but mighty! We’re believers in fresh starts and REvised approaches. We’re advocates of taking stock and REevaluating. And in both our personal and professional lives, January has been a time of RE- for us. REflecting on how we have...
by Jan and Kari | Dec 2, 2021 | Blog, Language Comprehension, Video
What’s oral language development got to do with reading, anyway? Well, it turns out . . . a whole lot. As we explain in Chapter 1 of Shifting the Balance, reading comprehension doesn’t begin with reading; it begins with comprehension of spoken language. And...
by Jan and Kari | Nov 18, 2021 | Blog, General, Literacy Leadership, Video
Perhaps you are thinking about that second (or third or fourth) cup of coffee you have in the morning. Maybe you are wondering if coffee is really good for you after all. So, you decide to get on the internet and do a bit of reading to find out what the research...
by Jan and Kari | Nov 11, 2021 | Blog, General, Literacy Leadership, Video
It’s in the news.It’s in the title of our book.It’s in the name of countless Facebook groups.It’s the topic of conversation at school board meetings and in state legislatures across the country. So, what is “the science of reading” anyway? First, check out our video...
