In a recent Education Week post, Mike Schmoker described three key elements for teachers to use to impart core literacy skills to their students: purposeful reading, discussion, and writing. He advocated for 90-120 minutes engagement each day, spread throughout the curriculum. To understand just what this means for classroom instruction, let’s examine the three skills, … Continue reading “Improving Reading and Writing Skills”
Tag: scaffolding
Teachers’ Social-Emotional Support Can Help Struggling Readers
Students who struggle with foundational reading skills need more than remedial instruction to make them successful students; they need their teachers’ social and emotional support as well. Many students who read below grade level and have difficulty mastering basic concepts like phonics, vocabulary acquisition, fluency, and prosody feel anxious, frustrated, and even ashamed of their … Continue reading “Teachers’ Social-Emotional Support Can Help Struggling Readers”
Reading Fluency Instruction After Grade 3
We’ve addressed the issue of reading fluency in emerging readers a number of times, as it’s one of the fundamental concepts that must be explicitly taught by the teacher and practiced by the students (you can find previous texts here and here). Reading fluency generally refers to a student’s oral reading fluency, as they’re encouraged … Continue reading “Reading Fluency Instruction After Grade 3”
The Importance of Scaffolding in Reading Instruction
Scaffolds in education are like scaffolds on a building: they serve as a supporting framework for the structure. Unlike differentiated instruction, which adjusts texts to students of differing abilities, scaffolding strategies can be used with all students, including students who struggle with reading at grade level. Scaffolding as an instructional concept was first mentioned in … Continue reading “The Importance of Scaffolding in Reading Instruction”
Interview with Leah King: Educator, reading specialist, and reader, Part 2
[Editor’s note and disclaimer: This is Part 2 of our discussion with educator and reading specialist Leah King. The content for this two-part post came from an interview conducted by Miriam Ruff on October 4, 2020, and it has been edited somewhat for length and fluency.] To read Part 1, click here. MR: Like everyone … Continue reading “Interview with Leah King: Educator, reading specialist, and reader, Part 2”