Students don’t like to read. These rarely discussed reasons may explain why. Kindergarten is no longer a garden. Kindergartners are pressured to read. Before NCLB, over twenty years ago, this was unheard of and still makes no sense. Formal reading instruction once began in first grade. Children in the not-too-distant past were given time to […]
Reading Aloud to Help Children Read Well Their Whole Lives!
Every new parent should get a copy of Jim Trelease’s The Read-Aloud Handbook. Teachers should have a copy too. In honor of the late Trelease, parent and award-winning artist, writer, and author, it’s important to point out that his well-documented research lives on encouraging reading aloud to children, even babies, to foster a lifelong love […]
10 Ways to Help Children ENJOY Reading!
The focus for children learning to read, sometimes undervalued by those concerned about phonics, is instilling a joy of reading. The ultimate goal should be that children are able to read and like it. Phonics is important, especially when children have reading disabilities, but it shouldn’t stand alone. Science of Reading (SoR) supporters will argue that […]
The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. ~Frederick Douglass If a school has no school library or a flimsy excuse for a library, students are denied access to books and reading material. They miss opportunities to learn information and become proud of who they are. Look for racism behind the decision. When […]
$100M For Children “Learning Faster Than Ever Before” In Tennessee?!
Tennessee lawmakers just signed off on a $100 Million program called Reading 360. Sixty million is federal Covid-19 relief money and $40 million federal grant money. What is this? Why Tennessee? Will other states follow? While the media bombards the public with learning loss warnings, this program is about acceleration. Fast-Track Here’s what the brochure […]
The Science of Reading Plot to Replace Reading Teachers with Phonics on a Screen
Not only are school districts spending huge sums on laptops with little research to indicate students learn better on computers, they’re also pushing children to face screens to learn the most serious subject, how to read. They’re doing this alongside efforts by corporate reformers to kick teachers out of the classroom, and by promoting the idea […]
Problematic “Scientific Based” Phonics: The Flawed National Reading Panel
It’s odd and detrimental that the National Reading Panel is highlighted in reports as science, used to promote phonics and criticize how teachers teach reading. It has become so intense that teachers are being advised to drop certain reading methods to focus solely on “systematic, explicit phonics!” The NRP was discredited long ago. Why it’s […]
Is NCLB’s Reading First Making a Comeback?
Reading First was President George W. Bush’s signature reading program, the cornerstone of No Child Left Behind. With a $6 billion price tag (a billion per year for six years), it promised “scientific proof” it would have every child reading by third grade. States had to apply for federal grants. Reading First centered around phonics. […]
Helping Students, Including Those with Learning Disabilities, With Self-Expression
The most important words a student can hear from their teacher or parent are, “I want to hear how you think and feel about this.” Helping students express themselves through writing is critical in every class at every grade level. Self-expression is so important today that I felt compelled to write about one of my […]
NCTQ’s “Case Closed” Brain Image Post Plugs Pearson’s RICA Reading Te$t for Teachers. Fails the Smell Test!
Kate Walsh, President of the astroturf National Council of Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a group that pretends it’s for teachers and schools when it’s really about privatization, recently published an article “Case Closed” implying that teachers are “science deniers” when it comes to teaching reading. But Walsh’s brain imaging illustration is taken from a research article […]