by Jan and Kari | Jan 27, 2023 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Fluency, High-Frequency Words, Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Literacy Leadership, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
Last week, we shared 5 adjustments that can help you bring small-group instruction for early decoders more in line with your other shifts to early literacy instruction. If you missed it, you can find that post here. We hope that you have taken some time this week to...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 20, 2023 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Fluency, High-Frequency Words, Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Literacy Leadership, Meaningful Independent Practices, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
What about small-group instruction? What changes in light of new learning? What stays the same? If you’re like many of the educators we work with, questions like these are top of mind as you consider shifts to more brain-friendly literacy instruction for early...
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 | Apr 23, 2022 | Blog, Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Vocabulary
In Chapter 1 of Shifting the Balance, we untangle a widespread misunderstanding about reading comprehension. It is “Misunderstanding 4” in the chapter that is about language comprehension. Misunderstanding 4 goes like this,“Successful comprehension in beginning...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 22, 2021 | Blog, 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...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 16, 2021 | Blog, 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...