Research, Practice & Perspective
Everything we’ve written about teaching reading, inspired by the questions that keep coming up in classrooms, in coaching conversations, and in our inbox.
PhonicsLook closely at what happens between one word and the next. Explore how word chains bring phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, and meaning…
PhonicsFour ways to help your phonics curriculum do more by using a single word to connect reading, spelling, meaning, and language within…
BlogExplore how connecting knowledge building, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing can help you make the most of a 60-minute literacy block while addressing…
BlogFind your entry point into the Shifting the Balance books, with guidance for choosing the volume that fits your students and your…
BlogExplicit, systematic phonics instruction matters. Explore how to connect it with spelling, vocabulary, and language so students can use what they learn…
Multisyllabic WordsExplore research-informed ways to support readers in grades 3–5 who have literacy gaps, while keeping meaningful, grade-level learning within reach.
Strategy InstructionReconsider six familiar comprehension practices and explore alternatives that give students more responsibility for making meaning as they read, talk, and think…
Knowledge BuildingExplore six common reading comprehension challenges, indicators that students may be having difficulty, and teaching moves to support understanding.
High-Frequency WordsTake a closer look at which high-frequency words to teach in first grade and how phonics knowledge and unexpected spellings can inform…
Strategy InstructionFollow how a reader builds and revises a mental model as a text unfolds, and consider what this reveals about supporting reading…
High-Frequency WordsHelp high-frequency words stick by connecting sounds, spellings, and meaning. Explore orthographic mapping and reconsider routines that rely on memorizing how words…
High-Frequency WordsExplore how orthographic mapping helps readers store words for automatic recognition, with explanations, examples, and activities that connect spoken sounds to written…
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Free & classroom-ready
Sound boxes, decodable word lists, sound-spelling charts, planning templates, all free, all classroom-ready.
