Literacy | Ģý Nurture Curiosity Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://www-media.discoveryeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/de-site-favicon-2026-70x70.png Literacy | Ģý 32 32 Close Reading Strategies: A Step-by-Step Guide /blog/educational-leadership/close-reading-strategies/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 14:00:24 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=221562 Key takeaways The use of close reading strategies allows the learner to take time to study and revisit an excerpt from a text, rather than rushing through it just once and then leaving. Annotating involves more than underlining. It is a process where a learner notes their ideas as they read. Close reading strategies can […]

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Key takeaways

  • The use of close reading strategies allows the learner to take time to study and revisit an excerpt from a text, rather than rushing through it just once and then leaving.

  • Annotating involves more than underlining. It is a process where a learner notes their ideas as they read.

  • Close reading strategies can be effective when repeated across multiple texts.

reading students jpg

Early readers tend to start at the top, move through to the end, and then stop. That works fine for getting the gist of a story. This approach becomes less effective as soon as a text gets genuinely complex, dense with meaning, or worth arguing about. Close reading strategies exist for exactly that moment, teaching students to slow down, reread with purpose, and actually dig into a short passage the way a skilled reader would.

Close reading is not necessarily reading everything carefully all the time. It is a particular and teachable approach that you apply to the texts that deserve such treatment, those that have multiple meanings, complex structures, or arguments that should be analyzed sentence by sentence. This article defines close reading strategies, explains how they work in practice, how they are taught, and why they matter.

What Are Close Reading Strategies?

Close reading strategies are approaches readers use to analyze a short, complex text through repeated, purposeful readings, each aimed at a specific level of understanding. Going beyond a typical first reading, close reading means returning to a text repeatedly to better grasp its meaning.

It works because complex texts can be difficult to understand in a single reading. One pass is needed to understand what the passage says literally, another to notice word choice and tone, and a third to uncover what lies beneath those elements.

Complex texts often contain multiple layers within a single sentence, requiring readers to go deeper than a single reading. These layers include literal meanings, connotations shaped by word choice, implications drawn through interpretation, and connections made by synthesizing information across the entire text. Most students, if left on their own, tend to read the literature once and assume their job is complete. Close reading strategies help disrupt that process.

What Are Examples of Close Reading Strategies?

Common examples include annotating while reading and marking unfamiliar vocabulary, questions, and points of confusion. For example, students could circle words/phrases that appear repeatedly in the text and try to understand their purpose; underline pieces of evidence that support a particular argument; and take notes describing the function of a particular paragraph. The text-based questions are essential here because they require specific evidence from the text and cannot be answered with outside knowledge or impressions alone. The chunking technique, in which students divide a long text into shorter texts and analyze them one by one until they finish the whole piece, is also effective, especially for young students.

Step by Step: How to Teach Close Reading

Step 1: Choose the right text. Thoughtfully choose which passage students should read closely. Focus on short, content rich excerpts with complex syntax, ambiguity or layered meaning. Try and keep the length between one paragraph and one page.

Step 2: First, read for the gist. Have students read the passage once through with minimal interruption, just to get a general sense of what’s happening. Resist explaining anything yet.

Step 3: Second read with annotation. Students reread the same passage, this time marking it up by circling unfamiliar words, underlining key details, and jotting questions in the margins. This is where the real thinking starts to show.

Step 4: Pose text-dependent questions. Ask students questions that require them to return to the text for evidence rather than relying on memory alone. It keeps the focus on the text. Once the steps become familiar additional depth may be added. Ask students to find contextual evidence to support there question.

Step 5: Discuss as a group. Allow students to discuss what they’ve noticed about the text and how their annotations compare and contrast. Different students notice different things, and this allows all students to learn from that difference. Small group discussion often works better than a whole class conversation at this stage, since it gives more students a chance to actually speak rather than listen. Circulating between groups also lets a teacher catch misunderstandings in the moment, before they get carried into the next reading or the final discussion.

Step 6: Return to the text a third time if needed. With complex or dense text, return for a third time. Have students focus on a specific message, literary device or authors intended purpose, helping students pull the entire passage together.

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Why Are Close Reading Strategies Important?

Close reading strategies are important because they develop students’ critical analysis and evidence-based thinking, which are essential far beyond the classroom setting. Students trained in close reading know how to think more slowly and base their arguments on specific details rather than impressions. This approach can be applied directly to a primary historical document or a dataset in science.

Additionally, close reading strategies challenge the bad practice of skimming texts to grasp the general idea without delving deeper. In other words, the strategies teach students that sometimes texts or certain ideas are worth rereading a couple of times. Consequently, the regular use of these strategies teaches students how to work with difficult texts and provides them with a procedure to follow when they encounter difficulties.

Texts do not automatically require all steps of the close reading process to be completed. Some texts may benefit from an additional reading and annotations, whereas others could use all six steps of the process. Teachers need to know when to apply the close reading process to specific texts. Students need to understand when texts are worthy of the close reading process. This can happen only after consistent exposure to the process through many texts.

If you are interested in an all-in-one reading program, Ģý offers standards-aligned close-reading resources.

Teaching close reading strategies well means giving students a process they can come back to again and again, not just a one-time lesson tied to a single text. Once they have that process, they carry it into every dense, difficult, worth-arguing-about text they’ll ever run into, long after they’ve left your classroom.

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]]> reading-students.jpg Literacy Professional Development for Teachers /blog/teaching-and-learning/literacy-professional-development/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:19:39 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=221488 Key takeaways Effective literacy professional development for teachers includes ongoing opportunities to learn, practice new strategies, receive feedback, and improve instruction. Literacy training should connect directly to the curriculum, student work, and the reading and writing challenges teachers see in their classrooms. School leaders strengthen professional learning by protecting collaboration time, providing coaching, and evaluating […]

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Key takeaways

  • Effective literacy professional development for teachers includes ongoing opportunities to learn, practice new strategies, receive feedback, and improve instruction.

  • Literacy training should connect directly to the curriculum, student work, and the reading and writing challenges teachers see in their classrooms.

  • School leaders strengthen professional learning by protecting collaboration time, providing coaching, and evaluating whether new practices are improving instruction.

science of reading

Students use literacy skills throughout the school day. Students need to read directions, understand information, and explain their thinking throughout the school day. When they struggle with reading or writing, it can affect their learning in every class.

For that reason, literacy training cannot be treated as a one-time event on the district calendar. Teachers need time to understand the research, see what effective instruction looks like, try new practices, and examine the results with colleagues. Strong literacy professional development for teachers stays connected to classroom work and supports educators after the first training session.

What Is Literacy Teacher Professional Development?

Literacy professional development helps teachers strengthen reading and writing instruction. Depending on students’ needs, it may focus on early reading skills, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, assessment, intervention, or support for multilingual learners.

Literacy professional development is most effective when it focuses on a clearly identified need. For example, elementary teachers might need support with phonemic awareness or decoding skills, while middle and high school teachers might need ways to help students better understand complex texts, improve written responses, or use evidence more effectively.

The training should then connect directly to the curriculum and materials teachers use. Teachers need to see how a strategy fits into an actual lesson, when students may need additional support, and how they will know whether it is working. General information can be helpful, but teachers also need practical ideas they can use in the classroom.

This is where intentional professional learning becomes important. Teachers should have opportunities to practice, ask questions, and receive useful feedback. That process respects teachers as professionals and recognizes that meaningful improvement takes time.

What Are the Different Types of Professional Development for Literacy Teachers?

Literacy training can take several forms. Districts should first decide what teachers need and then choose the type of training that fits that need.

Workshops can introduce new research, explain a district goal, or help teachers learn new materials. They can be a good starting point, but teachers also need time to use what they learned, ask questions, and make changes.

Coaching gives teachers classroom support. A literacy coach may teach part of a lesson, plan with a teacher, observe instruction, or review student work. This gives teachers feedback as they try a new approach.

Teacher teams can also meet regularly to solve specific problems. They might review writing samples, identify a skill students are struggling with, and decide what to teach next. These meetings are most useful when teachers leave knowing what they will do differently.

Teachers can also learn through classroom observations, online courses, conferences, book studies, and other training programs. Districts may use several approaches. A workshop can introduce an idea, while coaching and follow-up meetings help teachers use it in the classroom.

Building a culture of literacy also means approaching literacy as a shared responsibility. Reading and writing development should not fall only to elementary teachers or the English department. Students need consistent support across grade levels and subjects.

What Kinds of Certifications Can Literacy Teachers Get?

Certification requirements vary by state, so teachers should begin with their state education department and district. Some educators pursue a reading or literacy specialist certificate that includes advanced work in literacy development, assessment, intervention, coaching, and leadership.

Teachers can also earn endorsements in reading, special education, English as a new language, or a specific reading approach. Other training may focus on structured literacy, dyslexia, early reading, adolescent literacy, or literacy coaching.

Teachers should choose training that fits their job and goals. A certificate is most useful when teachers can use what they learn in the classroom. Before enrolling, teachers should make sure the program is based on reliable research and gives them opportunities to apply what they learn.

District leaders also need to decide how they will use that expertise. A teacher with advanced literacy training can support colleagues, contribute to curriculum work, review student data, or coach.

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What Are the Benefits of Professional Development for Literacy Teachers?

Well-designed professional development strengthens teacher knowledge and decision-making. Educators need to understand how literacy develops, recognize why a student may be struggling, and choose an appropriate response. That knowledge helps teachers use programs and materials thoughtfully rather than follow them without considering what students need.

Professional development can help schools create a more consistent approach to literacy instruction. Students benefit when teachers use similar language, expectations, and routines across grade levels. Teachers do not need to teach identical lessons, but students should be able to build on what they learned the previous year.

Teachers can learn a great deal from one another. Looking at student work together helps them see where students are struggling, share ideas, and decide what to teach next. It also makes literacy instruction a schoolwide responsibility.

Effective literacy strategies are easier to implement when teachers have the right materials and ongoing support. Professional development also helps teachers adjust their instruction when students need more time, another way to learn the material, or extra practice.

Teachers are more likely to find professional development useful when it addresses classroom problems and provides educational resources they can use with students. Training should help teachers do their jobs more effectively, not add another requirement.

5 Tips for Improving Yourself as a Literacy Teacher

1. Choose One Skill to Improve

Choose one part of your teaching to improve. Use student work, assessment results, and what you see in the classroom to help you decide where to focus. This might be vocabulary, reading fluency, writing, or support for students who are still learning to read independently. A clear goal will help you choose the right training and see whether it is making a difference.

2. Use New Strategies in Upcoming Lessons

Use the new strategy in a lesson or unit you are already planning. Think about when students will need an example, practice time, discussion, or feedback. Training is more useful when teachers can apply what they learn to their daily instruction.

3. Review Student Work as a Team

Review student work as a team, focusing on one skill. Identify what students already do well, where they need help, and what to teach next. These conversations can help teachers plan their next steps.

4. Learn From Feedback and Other Teachers

Ask a colleague to observe part of a lesson and give you feedback. You can also visit another classroom to see how a teacher teaches reading or writing and helps students correct mistakes. Choose one thing to focus on before the observation.

5. Check Whether Students Are Improving

It’s also important to decide how you will check student progress before trying a new strategy. You might decide to look at reading accuracy, writing, classroom discussions, or a short assessment. If students are not improving, seek additional support and try a different approach.

Making Literacy Professional Development Part of the Work

School leaders are responsible for creating the conditions that allow this work to continue. That includes protecting collaboration time, providing access to coaching and effective instructional materials, and keeping the district focused on a manageable number of priorities. Leaders should also ask teachers what support they need and remove activities that take time without improving instruction.

Effective literacy professional development for teachers is not measured by how many sessions a district offers or how many certificates employees earn. I would look for the results in classrooms. Teachers should be making more informed instructional decisions, students should receive more consistent support, and teams should respond sooner when learning is not progressing as expected.

The goal is to give teachers the knowledge, time, and support they need to improve literacy instruction. When districts make this a priority, professional development becomes a natural part of the district’s ongoing work to improve student learning.

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]]> science-of-reading 10 Effective Reading Comprehension Strategies /blog/educational-leadership/reading-comprehension-strategies/ Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:41:39 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=221474 Key takeaways Reading comprehension strategies help students build on prior vocabulary knowledge to construct meaning from text. Reading comprehension skills progress over time, building from foundational strategies such as predicting and questioning toward more complex skills like inferring, determining importance, and synthesizing. Explicitly modeling how skilled readers think, not just what they do, is what […]

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Key takeaways

  • Reading comprehension strategies help students build on prior vocabulary knowledge to construct meaning from text.

  • Reading comprehension skills progress over time, building from foundational strategies such as predicting and questioning toward more complex skills like inferring, determining importance, and synthesizing.

  • Explicitly modeling how skilled readers think, not just what they do, is what makes reading comprehension strategies actually stick.

reading students jpg

Understanding words does not mean comprehension.

Some students are great readers and can recognize definitions perfectly well. But even the highest word knowledge does not guarantee comprehension. Comprehending the text requires more than proficiency in identifying individual terms and definitions.

Teaching students to comprehend, rather than just recite, means making those invisible habits visible, showing students how a strong reader questions a text, predicts what’s coming, and stops to check whether something actually makes sense. This guide breaks down what reading comprehension strategies are, what they look like in practice, why they matter, and ten strategies you can put to use in your classroom right away.

What Are Reading Comprehension Strategies?

Reading comprehension strategies are methods that help students construct meaning from a text at a deeper level than basic vocabulary alone. As students become better readers, they encounter more complex storylines and need to develop comprehension strategies to understand them. They connect previous knowledge to new, progressive concepts and monitor what they understand and what they don’t. Building the ability to understand what the author is conveying. Explicitly naming, modeling, and practicing these steps will help readers strengthen their comprehensive understanding. Once it clicks, it becomes second nature, and they can apply it to more complex reading.

These strategies help students practice monitoring their thinking and build metacognition. A student taught a variety of comprehension strategies can become an independent, capable reader. This strengthened metacognitive ability will help learners inside and outside the classroom. This matters more as students move into content areas like science and social studies, where dense, unfamiliar text is common and comprehension strategies directly determine how much content they learn.

What Are Examples of Reading Comprehension Strategies?

An interactive method to lead with is prediction. Students read the first section of a reading, pause, and guess what will happen next, describing their reasoning and naming the context clues that led to their hypothesis. Hold multiple check-ins so students can ask questions before, during, and after reading to support clarification. Visualization is another helpful tool; having students pause and imagine the description can help solidify comprehension. When possible, having stories that relate to personal experience can help students connect to the text. Building the habit of pausing when reading to ask a question, reread, visualize, or summarize is a useful reading comprehension strategy.

Why Are Reading Comprehension Strategies Important?

Developing reading comprehension strategies helps students succeed and understand the material they encounter at any point in life. Comprehension is a universal life skill. A student who can read aloud can still lack comprehension. Checking for understanding is central to teaching comprehension strategies and literacy instruction.

These strategies leverage metacognition and help students strengthen the ability to monitor their own thinking. When students notice when they are reading without understanding the meaning and can use a strategy to bridge the gap, they become self-sufficient learners.

This is a foundational skill that will help students across subjects and settings. Strong comprehension strategies build content knowledge.

This progression matters as much as any single strategy. Predicting and questioning tend to come easily even for younger or less experienced readers, since they don’t require much background knowledge to get started. Inferring, determining importance, and synthesizing ask more of a reader; they require holding multiple pieces of information in mind at once and drawing conclusions that the text never states directly. The provided reading comprehension strategies are not in a fixed order. Initial skills are foundational, and complexity builds to keep students challenged. Students may start with making predictions and build up to synthesizing. Both utilize that underlying habit of purposeful reading, just at different degrees of complexity.

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10 Effective Reading Comprehension Strategies for the Classroom

1. Predicting

Prediction helps students practice identifying context clues. When possible, they connect the context clues with prior knowledge. With multiple points for pausing and reflecting, it helps students engage actively with the text rather than quickly reading words without meaning. Teachers have multiple points to check student understanding and notice any patterns or gaps in knowledge.

2. Questioning

Questioning, along with annotation, gives students a way to label points of misunderstanding or interest related to the plot, characters, new vocabulary, or tone, giving the teacher a glimpse into students’ thought processes and curiosity about the new text.

3. Visualizing

Challenging readers to pause and visualize, possibly drawing the scenes they read, naturally builds comprehension. Applying this strategy to narrative texts gives you a concrete way to check their understanding. When students can’t visualize, a gap forms between reading and understanding, and the point where the image stops illustrates the disconnect the teacher can address.

4. Summarizing

Summary is yet another technique that can be supported with annotation. When the student writes a summary, they have time to think and self-assess their comprehension skills. The student is doing well if they can identify the main point, context clues, or the most important thing in the passage.

5. Making Connections

A connection between the text and the student’s own experience (text-to-self), another text (text-to-text), or the whole world (text-to-world) is established. Connections make new knowledge more memorable by linking it to students’ existing knowledge. Connections can also make material that was previously distant and abstract more engaging.

6. Inferring

Students draw conclusions based on evidence in the text combined with their own background knowledge, since authors rarely state everything directly. Inferring is one of the more advanced comprehension strategies, and it’s often where struggling readers need the most explicit modeling — showing students how to combine a textual clue with something they already know to reach a logical conclusion.

7. Monitoring Comprehension

Students actively track whether the text makes sense as they read and notice the moment their understanding breaks down. This metacognitive foundation underpins all the other strategies; a reader who doesn’t notice they’ve lost the thread can’t apply any fix-up strategy, no matter how many they know.

8. Determining Importance

Students must determine which concepts in the writing are key and which are interesting but not key. This task becomes more significant when students work with longer, more complex pieces of writing. Teachers can add a layer by asking students to share what they believe is important in the text and why, with text citations.

9. Synthesizing

Students combine information from multiple parts of a text, or across multiple texts, into a new, integrated understanding. Synthesizing goes a step beyond summarizing; it asks students to build something new from what they’ve read, rather than just condensing what was already there.

10. Using Fix-Up Strategies

When comprehension breaks down, students use a specific technique: the fix-up technique. They will underline any troubling sections, reread them, look up vocabulary, and slow their reading pace. Reading aloud helps some students. Teaching the fix-up technique empowers learners to address comprehension problems independently rather than bypassing them.

No single comprehension strategy applies equally to all texts. A brief passage may simply require a prediction and a comprehension check. More complex passages may require incorporating multiple strategies simultaneously: asking questions during the reading and summarizing afterward to verify comprehension of the text’s primary message. A key aspect of comprehension instruction includes helping students recognize when certain comprehension strategies apply. This skill improves with continued use of all the comprehension strategies at their disposal.

Explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies, rather than expecting them to emerge naturally, gives learners concrete tools to make meaning of any text, even ones they have not encountered before. For educators seeking an all-inclusive reading program, Ģý provides standards-based tools tailored for every reader.

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]]> reading-students.jpg 10 Effective Reading Fluency Strategies for K–12 Teachers /blog/educational-leadership/reading-fluency-strategies/ Tue, 15 Sep 2026 20:04:36 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=220546 Key takeaways Reading fluency strategies work best when they target all three components of fluency: accuracy, rate, and expression — not just speed. Consistent, low-pressure practice builds fluency more effectively than occasional high-stakes reading assessments. The right reading fluency strategies don't just help students read faster; they free up cognitive space for comprehension. A student […]

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Key takeaways

  • Reading fluency strategies work best when they target all three components of fluency: accuracy, rate, and expression — not just speed.

  • Consistent, low-pressure practice builds fluency more effectively than occasional high-stakes reading assessments.

  • The right reading fluency strategies don't just help students read faster; they free up cognitive space for comprehension.

science of reading

A student who reads slowly, word by word, isn’t just moving through a passage more gradually than their peers — they’re spending so much mental energy decoding each word that little is left over for understanding what the words actually mean. That’s the real stakes behind reading fluency, and it’s why reading fluency strategies deserve a central place in any literacy classroom, not a supplemental one. A common misunderstanding is that reading fast is a sign of fluency.

Genuine fluency means reading accurately, at an appropriate pace, and with the natural expression a skilled reader brings to a sentence — three components working together to free up mental bandwidth for comprehension. This guide breaks down what reading fluency actually is, why it matters so much for overall literacy development, and ten practical reading fluency strategies you can put to use in your classroom right away.

What Is Reading Fluency?

Reading fluency is when an individual can read text at a reasonable speed and with proper understanding — sometimes described as reading “with prosody,” meaning the natural rhythm, stress, and intonation a fluent reader brings to spoken language. Fluency sits between decoding and comprehension in the reading development process: a student first needs enough decoding skill to identify words accurately, and enough practice to do so automatically, before fluency becomes possible.

The three components of fluency work together. Accuracy means reading words correctly. Rate means reading at a pace similar to natural speech, neither so slow that meaning gets lost between words nor so fast that comprehension suffers. Expression means reading with phrasing, emphasis, and tone that reflect an understanding of the text’s meaning — pausing at commas, raising intonation for questions, and stressing important words. A student who reads accurately but in a flat, word-by-word monotone is not yet a fluent reader, even if every word is correct.

Why Is Reading Fluency Important?

Reading fluency directly affects a student’s cognitive capacity to comprehend what they read. Comprehension drops when students focus on decoding, reading, and understanding the sentence in front of them, which slows the flow. Sounding out every word, naturally, the entire story gets lost in between. Fluent readers decode as they read and have more cognitive capacity to comprehend the story and make connections. This is why fluency is often described as the bridge between decoding and comprehension. A student can have strong phonics skills and still struggle to comprehend grade-level text if fluency hasn’t developed, simply because too much effort is going into word recognition. Fluency also affects motivation and reading identity. Students who read fluently experience reading as manageable and even enjoyable; students who read haltingly often begin to see reading itself as a source of frustration, which can affect how much they choose to read independently and, therefore, how much practice they get.

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10 Effective Reading Fluency Strategies

1. Repeated Reading

Automacy is achieved through repetition. Having students track their understanding as they revisit a passage builds fluency. As sentences become familiar, cognitive load decreases, enabling students to comprehend. The more a student repeats a passage, the more confident they will become.

2. Paired or Partner Reading

This activity facilitates a model of fluent reading in a low-stakes setting. Pairing a fluent reader with a student who needs support uses social engagement to shift reading from a classroom responsibility to a light-hearted interaction. Each student takes a turn reading a passage, and in a less stressful environment, students are likely to flourish.

3. Choral Reading

Breaking the class into small groups and having students alternate who reads each passage encourages reluctant readers. Creating a low-stakes environment reduces anxiety during oral reading practice—less anxiety about reading when the entire class isn’t listening. Choral reading is an effective warm-up activity when starting a reading block. It helps students engage before focusing on their individualized practice and helps the teacher identify students who may benefit from one-on-one support.

4. Echo Reading

Echo reading helps students pick up on emotion, pace, and tone that accompany fluency. The teacher models a passage for the entire class, focusing on phrasing. Then, students echo the passage back, focusing on tone and flow that align with the example.

5. Reader's Theater

In a tiny classroom theater, everyone has a character and a line of dialogue to read aloud. Start in small groups so students can practice multiple times. This activity is a playful way to facilitate reading practice.

6. Timed Repeated Reading with Graphing

Provide students with an appropriately tailored passage to read while timed. They can independently track their correct words or receive assistance, but they should read the passage multiple times. Tracking their improvement over a short period motivates students. This also provides data a teacher can refer to as they support fluency development.

7. Audiobook or Recorded Model Listening

Students listen to a fluent reader — recorded audio, a teacher, or a text-to-speech tool while following along with the printed text. This builds a mental model of fluent reading, which is especially valuable for students who haven’t had extensive exposure to skilled oral reading at home.

8. Phrase-Cued Reading

To help students read with a natural flow in phrases, the text is marked. Usually with slashes or fractured spacing to help students learn to read in fluid chunks. Building up fluency by practicing natural pauses. The more students hear it, the sooner they internalize and practice incorporating natural pauses without visual markers. It may be used with echo reading, so students can hear and see it at the same time.

9. Poetry and Song Lyrics for Practice

Allowing students to read a poem or a song excerpt helps them engage in rhythmic reading in a low-stakes setting. Poems and songs are short-form content with built-in rhythm and are suitable for multiple readings. To further encourage student engagement, teachers can ask students to pick their own poetry or song lyrics to practice.

10. Progress Monitoring with Ongoing Feedback

Checking in with students to show their growth and goals is an encouraging, motivational form of feedback. Explain specifically which skill improved and break it down. These fluency checks are meant to be regular, around once a week,

The key to successfully building reading fluency strategies is to incorporate them into daily instruction. Shifting the lens from a yearly assessment to daily practice gives students opportunities to improve. Teachers searching for reading fluency tools can refer to Discover Education’s standards-aligned reading resources. Students exposed to and practicing a variety of reading formats gain many opportunities for reflection and growth. Short, consistent practice builds automaticity and leads to confident readers.

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]]> science-of-reading 10 Effective Reading Intervention Strategies | Ģý /blog/educational-leadership/reading-intervention-strategies/ Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:30:14 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=220369 Key takeaways For reading intervention to work, it must be based on the learner's specific skill deficit, not used universally. Progress monitoring will help distinguish between an effective and ineffective intervention program. Effective reading intervention strategies combine explicit instruction with enough repetition and practice so the skill sticks. Every classroom has students who aren’t progressing […]

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Key takeaways

  • For reading intervention to work, it must be based on the learner's specific skill deficit, not used universally.

  • Progress monitoring will help distinguish between an effective and ineffective intervention program.

  • Effective reading intervention strategies combine explicit instruction with enough repetition and practice so the skill sticks.

reading students

Every classroom has students who aren’t progressing at the same pace as their peers, no matter how well the core instruction is designed. Everyone learns at their own pace. That gap is exactly what reading intervention strategies exist to close — not by replacing good classroom teaching, but by giving struggling readers the targeted, intensive support that whole-class

instruction alone can’t provide.

Intervention isn’t a single strategy or a single program. It’s a layered approach that starts with identifying precisely where a student is stuck: phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension, and then applying instruction specific enough to close that exact gap. Waiting to see if a struggling reader “catches up ” on their own rarely works; the gap that seems small in kindergarten tends to widen every year it goes unaddressed. This guide breaks down what reading intervention actually means, why it matters, and ten practical reading intervention strategies you can put to use in your classroom. The sooner they are

implemented, the sooner students improve.

What Is Reading Intervention?

Reading intervention is targeted, intensive instruction designed to help students who aren’t progressing adequately with core literacy instruction alone. Unlike general classroom teaching, which addresses the needs of an entire class, intervention is diagnostic and individualized,

focused on identifying a student’s specific skill gap and delivering targeted practice to close it.

Intervention usually follows a layered approach and is usually explained using an MTSS/RTI framework. Tier 1 involves quality core instruction for all students. Regular classroom instruction. Tier 2 involves small-group, targeted assistance for struggling students, creating a space where a teacher can monitor reading and comprehension. Tier 3 involves the most intensive instruction for struggling students. Strategies for reading interventions are used across the three tiers, with intensity increasing as the student’s problem becomes more pronounced. A student can move easily through these tiers as needed during the school year. This is why

assessment plays a critical role in how intervention works.

Why Is Reading Intervention Important?

Reading intervention is important because a student’s literacy skills continue to develop from year to year, and any deficiencies will only worsen over time if not addressed properly. Reading deficiencies quickly turn into a gap in education as students struggle to comprehend new material across all subjects. For example, if a student lacks phonemic awareness in kindergarten and receives no help, he will lack decoding skills in first grade, fluency skills in second grade, and reading comprehension skills in third grade. Early reading intervention prevents this vicious cycle from getting out of control and leaving the child at a disadvantage in

later years of his schooling career.

Intervention is also important because struggling readers rarely close gaps simply through more exposure to grade-level content. A student who can’t yet decode fluently doesn’t benefit as much from being handed more grade-level text — they need direct, explicit instruction in the specific skill they’re missing. Without that targeted support, students often fall further behind each year rather than catching up, which is why early identification and consistent, well-implemented reading intervention strategies are so critical to closing achievement gaps rather than just documenting them. The research on this is consistent: the earlier a reading difficulty is identified and addressed, the less intensive the intervention needs to be to close the

gap.

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10 Effective Reading Intervention Strategies

1. Systematic Phonics Teaching

If a child has difficulty with decoding, systematic and explicit phonics teaching, which involves learning letter-sound relationships in a structured sequence, develops the foundational skill on which almost all other reading skills are based. It does this best when it is done directly and systematically, rather than incidentally, because children who have difficulty tend to need the pattern taught explicitly.

2. Phonemic Awareness Exercises

To decode, it is first necessary for the child to be able to hear and manipulate the sounds in words. Blending, segmentation, and sound-deletion exercises, such as saying “cat” without the /k/ sound, are ways to develop this essential skill.

3. Small-Group, Skill-Specific Instruction

Grouping students by their specific skill gap — rather than by general reading level — allows intervention time to focus precisely on what a group of students needs, whether that’s a particular phonics pattern, a fluency deficit, or a comprehension strategy. This targeted grouping makes intervention time meaningfully more efficient than broader small-group instruction.

4. Repeated Reading for Fluency

Students repeat readings of the same short passage, leading to automaticity and more cognitive resources available for comprehension. This is probably the best-proven reading intervention technique for those whose main problem lies in fluency rather than decoding, and it leads to significant improvements in a fairly short time.

5. Vocabulary Instruction

Rather than assuming the student learned the new vocabulary solely through exposure, explicit instruction can be used to address any gaps in understanding. Even when students are skilled decoders and have reading fluency, they can still improve comprehension.

6. Comprehension Strategies Instruction

To help students develop comprehension, teach them comprehension strategies. Have them predict, summarize, annotate, write down the main ideas, and write down any questions. Actively engaging with the text will help students develop comprehension.

7. Frequent Progress Monitoring

Brief, regular assessments — sometimes weekly — track whether an intervention is actually working. This is what separates effective intervention from a well-intentioned but stalled one: without consistent data, it’s easy to keep running an intervention long after it has stopped producing progress, wasting valuable instructional time.

8. Multisensory Instruction

Approaches that engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic pathways simultaneously, tracing letters while saying sounds aloud, for example, can be especially effective for students who haven’t responded well to instruction delivered through a single modality.

9. Modeling With Immediate Feedback

Rather than allowing students to learn the skill on their own and then correcting their mistakes, an intervention strategy should involve the teacher modeling the skill, followed by immediate feedback as the student performs it. This catches any errors before they become habits; it may take more class time initially, but it will prove efficient in the long run.

10. More Time Being Spent On Instruction and a Greater Number of Instructions

Generally, struggling readers need more reading time and more instruction than other readers to help them bridge the gap. Interventions are mainly carried out on a daily or near-daily basis using short rather than long instructions. This prevents frustration and keeps the instruction time positive and formative. Effective reading intervention programs are united in one way – they target a known skill deficit, are frequent and intense enough to produce change, and are closely enough monitored to see if they work. Tracking and sharing students’ growth can be motivating.

For teachers seeking a comprehensive reading intervention program that provides structured, standards-aligned instruction for struggling readers, Ģý offers reading resources to help close literacy gaps at every grade level.

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]]> reading-students District Purchasing Guide: Considerations for Foundational Reading Ģý /blog/educational-leadership/how-to-choose-a-reading-program/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:54:22 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=214955 Key takeaways Choosing the right foundational reading solution requires asking the right questions. Effective programs personalize learning for every student. Student engagement and educator support are just as important as curriculum. Is your district considering purchasing a supplemental foundational reading solution? This guide can help to ensure that your investments in learning technology improves student […]

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Key takeaways

  • Choosing the right foundational reading solution requires asking the right questions.

  • Effective programs personalize learning for every student.

  • Student engagement and educator support are just as important as curriculum.

reading students

Is your district considering purchasing a supplemental foundational reading solution? This guide can help to ensure that your investments in learning technology improves student growth and achievement and supports educators.

An effective supplemental learning program provides engaging, adaptive, conceptual-based foundational reading curriculum to help personalize and increase learning outcomes. Identifying the right program can be a significant undertaking.

Important Considerations

An effective supplemental learning program provides engaging, adaptive, conceptual-based foundational reading curriculum to help personalize and increase learning outcomes. Identifying the right program can be a significant undertaking.

Consider These Questions When Evaluating Ģý That Help Young Students Learn to Read

  • Does the program engage young learners? What is the fun factor? Does it have fun characters and motivating storylines?

  • In what ways does the program address the specific learning needs of young learners (Pre K-5)? Intervention use cases?

  • How does the solution automatically differentiate learning? Does it provide just-in-time scaffolding that supports students as they need it?

  • How is educational technology and adaptivity used to deliver learning outcomes?

  • How does the program build mastery of critical foundational reading skills?

  • Does the solution align to Science of Reading and use a structured literacy approach?

  • Does the solution provide fluency practice?

  • How does the solution support student agency and help drive their motivation to learn?

  • How are learning paths personalized? Does the program adjust instruction and practice on the basis of progress and productive struggle?

  • How does the program motivate and engage students? Are students incentivized as they master skills? How is gamification used?

  • Does the subscription include implementation, onboarding and ongoing customer success?

  • Is ongoing customer support included in your subscription?

  • Does the solution follow best practices for instructional design?

Explore K-12 Literacy Resources

See how Ģý can support literacy.

Sample Questions For Foundational Reading Ģý

The right questions can help you uncover the nuanced differences between potential solutions and identify the fit that offers the best return on investment.

Adaptivity / Acceleration

How can the solution support the instructional needs of all students? How does it adapt to each student's unique needs?

Some requirements to consider:

  • How does the product personalize learning pathways to address MTSS, RTI, and offer differentiated learning for both acceleration and remediation?

  • How does the program speed-up, slow-down, and sequence lessons for each student to ensure their skills mastery?

  • If a student does not have a prerequisite sub-skill needed to complete an activity, does the program identify, rectify and return the student to grade level play?

  • How does the program determine what each student needs, based on their unique starting point?

  • How can educators make supplemental assignments for accelerated or struggling students?

Student Engagement/Agency

Do students want to return to the product again and again because they enjoy the play?

Some requirements to consider:

  • How does the program delight, engage, and motivate students? Does it use gamification, rewards and other incentives?

  • How, specifically, does the student experience agency over their own learning?

  • How does the program promote a growth mindset in foundational reading skills?

  • Is the solution age-and grade-appropriate? How is student play built around storylines and themes that are attractive to young learners?

  • Can students track their own progress in the program?

Assessment & Curricular Insights

How is formative and summative assessment used to inform learning? How do potential solutions use technology to personalize the student experience?

  • Describe the use of assessment technology, both summative and formative.

  • How does the solution assess student productive struggle and strategies?

  • How well does the solution correlate to your state standards?

  • Does the solution align with your core curriculum? Ask them to provide examples.

  • Describe how capstones, milestones, and summative assessments are presented to students? How does the solution mitigate test anxiety?

Instructional Design

How does the curriculum and instructional design address foundational reading skills? How is technology used to reinforce reading skills mastery?

  • How does the program use targeted personalization to develop reading skills mastery?

  • How is explicit instruction provided? How is practice provided and does it support explicit instruction?

  • Describe the use of virtual manipulatives.

  • How do students receive feedback on their play? How does this feedback inform instruction?

  • How does the program build on prior learning and strategically move from simple to complex concepts?

  • How does the solution use instructional design and adaptivity to provide accelerated learning outcomes?

Implementation Success & Ongoing Professional Learning

How are your administrators and educators supported during implementation and use? Does the solution offer opportunities for training and development?

  • Describe the implementation and ongoing support provided by the vendor.

  • How accessible is professional development to educators, paraeducators, and administrators?

Integrations

How do you integrate rosters and support single sign-on? Will your method translate to ongoing ease of use by staff and students?

  • How are students rostered?

  • Does the program support SSO and rostering via Clever or ClassLink?

  • What support does the provider offer during implementation?

Explore Our Foundational Reading Ģý

Ready to find the right foundational reading solution for your district? Explore DreamBox Reading and see how Ģý can help improve student growth and achievement.

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]]> reading-students Summer Reading Kickoff: Turning End-of-Year Energyintoa Reading Adventure /blog/teaching-and-learning/summer-reading-ideas-for-students/ Mon, 11 May 2026 15:22:43 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=214242 Reframing May as a Launchpad for Summer Reading The end-of-year energy in the classroom is different. There is a buzz that both students and teachers feel, stemming from testing fatigue, excitement for summer, and overall shorter attention spans. We tend to label May as the wind-down from the year, but what if we looked atthe […]

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Reframing May as a Launchpad for Summer Reading

The end-of-year energy in the classroom is different. There is a buzz that both students and teachers feel, stemming from testing fatigue, excitement for summer, and overall shorter attention spans.

We tend to label May as the wind-down from the year, but what if we looked atthe monthas a launchpad,where that buzzing energy could beleveragedinstead offought?

More specifically, if you planon settingyour students up for summer reading (required or optional),Maycanusedtohelp students rediscover why reading should exist outside of school. This is preferable tojust powering through one more novel study in hopes that they suddenly develop a desire to read over the break. We can do this by positioning summer reading as a bridge betweenschool-yearreading and real-life reading.

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Why Summer Reading Still Matters (and How Choice Changes Everything)

Summer reading still matters, and it should be about continuity and reader identity rather than rigor.Yes, we want to do everything in our power to prevent the “summer slide,” but what if we reframed it as“protecting progress?”A well-executed summer reading plan can help studentsmaintainreading stamina and vocabulary retention.

The shift comes when we emphasize choice in reading rather than completion and compliance.Choice is the difference between reading and wanting to read.Ideas to consider include:

  • Letting students choose the format they prefer, including print, graphic novels, audiobooks, or eBooks
  • Remindingstudentsthatit’sokay to abandon books guilt-free if they lose interest
  • Encouraging series reading
  • Normalizing rereading favorites

Instead of assigning students what to read, help students figure out how they like to read.

Making May a “Reading Discovery Month”

silent reading fluency hero

Use the last weeks of school to help students discover booksthey’llwant to take into the summer. Building in time for intentional reading identity discovery will make your push for summer reading more meaningful and sustainable.Using this time can help build momentum for reading as summer approaches.

Practical classroom ideas include:

  • Book tastings or speed dating with books
  • Teacher book talks focused on summer-friendly reads
  • Student-to-student book recommendations
  • “If you like this, try this…” charts
  • Short read-aloudsthat end on a cliffhanger

Rethinking Accountability and Partnering With Families

A common teacher concern with summer reading is accountability. If you want to see how students progressed during time away from school, it may help to reframe what accountability looks like.Inundating students, and often families, with logs, packets, orrequiredsummaries can kill motivation, when what we really want to see is reflection. Reading thatisn’tfinished or “proven” still counts.

Ways to invite reflection include:

  • A summer reading BINGO or choice board
  • A one-page “What I Read and Loved” reflection
  • Optional book talks or reading postcards when school returns
  • Digital tools for low-pressure sharing

May is alsoa great timeto partner with families in their student’s summer reading journey. Encourage families to read anything, read together, and talk about their reading.Sharing public library programs and digital access to books can help relieve financial pressure. Emphasize that modeling reading habits oftengoesfurther thanmonitoringthem.

The Goal of Summer Reading

The goal of summer readingisn’ta finished list of books.It’sa reader who returns in August still connected to books and with a stronger reader identity.Joyful reading can still be rigorous and effective.Consider making one small shift in these final weeks of school that supports students returning with stories, opinions, andmaybe evena list of new favorite books, not justcheckedboxes.

Picture of Payton Austin

Payton Austin

Payton Austin is an Instructional Coach in Allen Independent School District with over a decade of experience in middle school education, including previous experience teaching ELA. She is passionate about supporting effective instruction, strengthening best practices, and building teacher capacity to improve student learning.

Learn More About Ģý's Literacy Ģý

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]]> reading-students.jpg silent-reading-fluency-hero Picture of Payton Austin WhySocial Studies Is the Secret Engine of Literacy Development /blog/teaching-and-learning/why-social-studies-is-the-secret-engine-of-literacy-development/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:52:02 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=210368 Key takeaways Strong literacy grows from knowledge-rich learning, not ELA time alone. Social studies gives students the context and vocabulary that make reading comprehension possible. By analyzing sources and building arguments, students strengthen both literacy and critical thinking. WEBINAR: April 23, 2 PM ET | Inquiry and Literacy in Elementary Social Studies Watch On-Demand Educators […]

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Key takeaways

  • Strong literacy grows from knowledge-rich learning, not ELA time alone.

  • Social studies gives students the context and vocabulary that make reading comprehension possible.

  • By analyzing sources and building arguments, students strengthen both literacy and critical thinking.

Social Studies Blog

Educators are under enormous pressure to meet readingproficiencygoals;infactthe most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show thatoverhalf of fourth gradersare reading belowgradelevel. 1And while the instinctmay be toinvestmore time intoELAinstruction(more reading passages, more grammarpractice, more vocabularydrills),dedicated ELA timedoesn’thave to be the only strategy, in fact, research suggests itshouldn’tbe.

A study2recentlyfound that social studies was the only subject with a clear, statistically significant effect on reading improvement, andextra ELA time alone showed no measurable gains.This study is backed by decades of supporting research linking content-rich instruction to stronger literacy outcomes.

The connection between content knowledge and literacy is deep, well-documented, and too important to ignore. Here’s why social studiesdeservesa central placein anyserious effortto develop strong readers and writers.

Background Knowledge Is the Foundation of Reading Comprehension

Readingisn’tjust decoding words on a page.It’sconstructing meaning, and that process depends heavily on what a reader already knows. When a studentencountersa passage about the American Revolution, their ability to understand it hinges on whether they know what a colony was, why taxation without representation mattered, and what life looked like in eighteenth-century America.

Reading comprehension is not a transferable, all-purpose skill.It’sdeeply tied to domain knowledge. A student who is a “good reader” on a passage about baseball may struggle with a passage about the water cycle, not because their reading ability changed, but because their background knowledge shifted.

Social studieshelp students buildthe backgroundknowledge that makes later reading more accessible. It introduces students toareas likehistory,civics, andeconomics, anddeepensknowledge tomake future reading easier, across every subject.

Social Studies Introduces Rich, Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Words likedemocracy,migration, economy,continent,andcivilizationaren’tjust words for social studiesalone. They appear acrossmanydisciplines,from science texts and novelstonews articles and speeches.But social studiesisoftenwhere students firstencounterthese words in meaningful, memorable contexts.

Accordingtothe National Reading Panel,3 seeing vocabulary in authentic context, rather than isolated vocabulary drills, produces robust vocabulary learning. When a student learns the word“explorer” they could memorize the textbook definition(a person who travels to unfamiliar places to learn about them), or they could learn about it while following Lewis and Clark’s journey across uncharted territory, sketching maps, encountering grizzlies, and relying on Sacagawea forsurvival. Suddenly, “explorer”isn’tjust an abstract vocabulary word,it’sadventure and discovery.

Overtime, students learn morenew words, and the more words students know, the more they can read, and the more they read, the more words they learn.

How does Ģý’s Social Studies Essentials support vocabulary development?

Programs likeSocial Studies Essentialsput this research into practice. Literacy support runs throughout the entire program. Studentsencountervocabulary through student-friendly definitions and strong visuals, then use reflection questions to connect learning beyond the classroom.Collaborative conversations build grade-level speaking,listening,and comprehension skills as students make their way through lessons.

The program’s “Explore” model takes this work a step further by giving students bite-sized chunks of content paired with quick activities that reinforce learning, exactlythe type of meaningful exposure that makes vocabulary words stick.

Election

Students Learn to Read and Evaluate Different Text Types

ELA classes tend to center on literature and informational passages, but Social Studies takesreadinga step further. In a singlelesson, students might analyze a letter from a soldier, interpret a political cartoon, read a treaty, examine a map, compare newspaper editorials from different eras, and study data from a census report.

Each of these text types demands different reading strategies. A political cartoon requires visual literacy and an understanding of satire. Apersonal letterrequiresattention to historical context and perspective. A data table requires the ability toidentifypatterns and draw conclusions from numbers.That variety helps students become more flexiblereaderswho can adjust their approach depending on the text in front of them.

How does Ģý’s Social Studies Essentials enhance text engagement?

Various Texts

Social Studies Essentialsleans into thisapproach. Students engage intentionally with primary and secondary sources through a mix of whole-group and small-group instruction, with strong modeling to guide them.

Each lesson features artifactexposureoranalysis, reflection, and discussion to help students not only understand the content but also connect it to their own lives.

Social Studies Builds Critical Thinking and Communication Skills

Most importantly,social studieslessonsdon’tjust ask students to absorb information.The lessonsask them to think and ask questions about what they have read.Who wrote this? Why? What perspective is missing? What evidence supports this claim? These habits turn passive readers into active, critical ones.

These are the same skills that standardized assessments, college courses, and real-world communication demand. Social studiesisfull of natural opportunities to practice. When a studentis asked todeterminewhich invention had the greatest impact on the world, the printingpressor the compass, they must gather evidence, weigh competing claims, andbuild a case. This type of analysis sharpens reading and writingskills andbuilds literate students.

How does Ģý’s Social Studies Essentials improve critical thinking and communication?

Social Studies Essentialsbuilds these skills into every lesson. Activities promptstudentsto practicewriting, reading, listening, and speaking in small groups and whole–class discussions.

Students have regular, structured opportunities to sharpen their communication and critical thinking skills across multiple modes of communication.

Vocabulary Development

Literacy Doesn't Develop in a Vacuum.

ELA instruction matters. Explicit instruction for decoding, fluency, comprehension strategies, and writing are all essentialskills. But literacydoesn’tdevelopfrom onlythis type of instruction.It develops when students have rich knowledge, broad vocabulary,interestingreading experiences, and meaningful things to say. Social studiesdeliversall of that.

The most effective approachisn’tto choose between social studies and literacy.It’sto recognize that social studiesisliteracy instruction,andif we want to build a generation of thoughtful, capable, critical readers and writers, we need to start by giving them something worth reading and writing about.

Learn How You Can Improve Literacy with Engaging Social Studies Content!

Explore Social Studies Essentials >

References

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]]> Social Studies Blog Election Various Texts Vocabulary Development The Five Components of Reading /blog/teaching-and-learning/the-five-components-of-reading/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 19:34:25 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=183681 Background: Who determined the five components of reading? Congress asked the National Reading Panel NRP to determine the best approaches to help children read. As a result of their research and evaluation, the organization issued an evidence-based, nearly 500-page report of their findings.Teaching Children to Readdivided reading instruction into five components and summarized available research. […]

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Background: Who determined the five components of reading?

Congress asked the National Reading Panel NRP to determine the best approaches to help children read. As a result of their research and evaluation, the organization issued an evidence-based, nearly 500-page report of their findings.divided reading instruction into five components and summarized available research. NRP then made instructional recommendations for each component.

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The components are:

  1. Phonemic awareness
  2. Phonics
  3. Fluency
  4. Comprehension
  5. Vocabulary

Within these five categories, the report determined several key takeaways, including:

Phonemic awareness and phonics:

  • These early components are critical to reading proficiency, but not the end goal.

  • These components should be systematically taught and integrated with spelling instruction.

  • Educators intentionally decide the order that phonemic awareness and phonics skills should be taught.

Fluency, comprehension and vocabulary:

  • Strong fluency – created by automaticity and language comprehension and a solid vocabulary – is necessary to become a proficient reader.

  • Students unable to recognize and understand words, can’t achieve fluency and decode unfamiliar words.

  • Fluency allows for better text comprehension, which allows students to build vocabularies for greater comprehension of more complex texts.

The report also determined that most students need substantial instruction in phonics-based skills to achieve fluency, strengthen comprehension and develop their vocabulary.

Reading Scores Decline for the First Time in Two Decades

In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted a special administration of the reading and mathematics assessments to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scores from over 7,000 9-year-old students indicated:

  • Average scores in 2022 declined 5 points in reading since 2020.
  • This decline is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990.
  • Students in the most underserved populations saw the most dramatic shift. Reading scores dropped 10 points for students in the bottom 10th achievement percentile.

These scores are alarming and it’s urgent to respond strategically and quickly. If these students don’t get access to the right resources and support, they’ll be at greater risk of not building reading proficiency well enough to excel in other areas. Now is the time to provide effective intervention strategies to help students find success this year and beyond to graduate on time, pursue post-secondary opportunities and compete in a global economy.

Strategies to Consider for Literacy Instruction Across Teaching Reading

The NAEP test results analyzed over 7,000 9-year-old 4th grade students. This is a critical period for readers because starting in grade 3, students transition from learning to read, to reading to learn. As children read to learn, DreamBox Reading helps develop the components of reading. They include reading comprehension, vocabulary and fluency – a component often not addressed in the silent reading phase.

Below you’ll find a brief description of each component as well as some easily incorporated strategies to support improved reading outcomes.

Reading Comprehension

Simply put, comprehension means making meaning from text. However, getting to comprehension can be complex and requires three processing systems:

  • Phonological: Recognizing familiar words or being able to decode unfamiliar words.
  • Meaning: Understanding the meaning of each word.
  • Context: Understanding the meaning of sentences and entire texts.
reading students jpg

One simple strategy to support students’ reading comprehension is to incorporate read-aloud instruction. Use turn-and-talk, open-ended questions, small-group discussions and student-student discourse to ensure 100% student engagement.

Another strategy, or resource, to support the development of comprehension skills is an online literacy program like DreamBox Reading. Adaptive technology can offer personalized scaffolding to build independent reading skills. The DreamBox Reading program automatically customizes lesson features including content level (based on an initial assessment), reading rate, opportunities to reread texts and questions interspersed throughout each lesson. The program also allows students to self-select reading texts that are engaging and further build content knowledge and vocabulary.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the knowledge of what a word means and how to pronounce it. Students develop vocabulary by sounding out words. Making sense of the word then informs comprehension. Readers must understand the meaning of words in order to understand the full content of the text.

read aloud jpg

Read-alouds, a great strategy for improving reading comprehension, can also help build students’ vocabulary. A 2019 research study found that young children whose parents read aloud to them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to.

In addition to vocabulary acquisition that can be formally taught before and during a read-aloud, a combination of turn-and-talks, small-group discussions, and student-student discourse can further grow students’ vocabulary.

Additionally, an adaptive reading program with built-in vocabulary support can supplement whole- and small-group instruction. It provides personalized vocabulary development and improvised reading comprehension. For example, the vocabulary component in DreamBox Reading teaches students a research-based compilation of highly valuable, cross-curriculum, general academic vocabulary. Students master words through activities such as matching a vocabulary word with its synonym, selecting sentences where it’s used properly, and completing sentences with members of its word family.

DreamBox Reading also teaches students “2,400 Words to Master” a research-based compilation of general academic vocabulary. Their word mastery is continually evaluated, and students receive support for academic words they struggle with. These words are systematically included and repeated within their reading selections to help them progressively increase complexity of texts.

Developing Reading Fluency

There are two types of reading fluency:

  • Oral Reading Fluency: In grades K – 2, students build foundational skills, such as phonemic awareness and phonics skills. During this phase, they also develop oral fluency. Students demonstrate speed, accuracy and expression as they read aloud. It’s immediately apparent when a student doesn’t read a word or sentence correctly. A teacher can then intervene appropriately and quickly.
  • Silent Reading Fluency: Silent reading fluency becomes increasingly important beginning in 3rd grade. It’s the ability to read silently with attention and concentration, ease and comfort, at grade-appropriate reading rates and with good understanding.

Silent reading fluency is taught the least yet tested the most. The challenge for teachers is how to teach silent reading fluency. Both nonproficient and proficient readers can struggle with low reading fluency, which affects motivation and engagement. Fluent readers are able to focus on comprehension, read increasingly complex texts, and become a more confident and engaged reader.

Reading solutions with embedded assessments can help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and what they need from the start. This data allows for targeted instruction and can inform areas of fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, confidence and interest. With greater access to student data, educators have insight into where students are and what they need to grow.

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Students cannot develop comprehension without vocabulary or fluency skills. However, many intervention programs fail to address silent reading fluency. So, students are limited in the progress they can make across other critical skills. DreamBox Reading is the only reading solution that supports silent reading fluency. Educators can leverage the Intelligent Adaptive Learning technology to guide and support reading fluency and provide each student with just-right instruction. Reading fluency allows students to focus more deeply on comprehension, read increasingly complex texts and become a more confident and engaged reader.

As students develop and hone the skills necessary to become readers, they must engage with the right content to become better readers. Technology can match students with the right lessons for their vocabulary, comprehension and fluency levels. It can adapt and adjust to ensure they remain within their zone of proximal development. As they build intersectional skills in every area, just-in-time technology, like DreamBox Reading 3 – 12, can provide personalized scaffolds and support based on student behavior and needs.

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]]> dreambox-reading-image.png reading-students.jpg read-aloud.jpg notebooks-and-pencils.jpg Strengthening Student Literacy Skills /blog/teaching-and-learning/strengthening-student-literacy-skills/ Mon, 07 Apr 2025 19:26:23 +0000 /?post_type=blog&p=183624 Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, student, or community member, you’ve probably heard lots of conversation surrounding reading over the last school year. Particularly discussions about literacy instruction and student reading proficiency, both critical to the success of students’ academic careers. One teacher, Judith Philias, shared her insights with the Ģý team about why she […]

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Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, student, or community member, you’ve probably heard lots of conversation surrounding reading over the last school year. Particularly discussions about literacy instruction and student reading proficiency, both critical to the success of students’ academic careers. One teacher, Judith Philias, shared her insights with the Ģý team about why she loves teaching English Language Arts, how DE has helped her literacy instruction, and some advice for teachers who are looking to help their students grow as readers and writers—all while keeping learning fun!

I have been teaching in Miami, Florida for 16 years and I currently teach third grade. I became a teacher because I get to make a lasting impression and challenge my students. The title “teacher” brings many roles, including (but not limited to) counseling, developing differentiated instruction that can meet the needs of various learners, being a role model, and even advocating for what’s best for your students. I love teaching English Language Arts (ELA) because reading is an essential skill to life, and having great foundational reading skills can help set up students for successful futures. In third grade, ELA is an extremely critical subject area for students, as the state reading test is a determining factor for promotion to fourth grade.

This year I have noticed that my students have been struggling to identify key details in a passage and with comprehension questions regarding the text. Ģý has supported my literacy instruction by helping me reach my students in a variety of methods. DE offers that model how to implement new strategies, interesting reading passages to help students practice their reading skills, and other engaging resources for student use.

My students love Ģý! When I incorporated DE resources within the lesson, it made my students’ day because it was something fun and different. For them, it was beyond a textbook, because the information was presented in a way that kept it from feeling boring or repetitive.  

An (DE’s popular instructional strategies developed by teachers) that I usethat always receivesgreat feedback is. After reading a story, I organizethe students in small groups to create their responses: three true details and one false detail. As the students work together, it is actually easier for them to identify details from the story than to write the lie! When they are finished, each group presents their sentences, and the other groups have to determine which sentence is a lie. It makes a fun lesson using a skill my students usually struggle with, and it serves as a quick assessment for me to see how my class is progressing in identifying key details in a text.

"One SOS Strategy that I would recommend to teachers is XO Let’s Go for students. It is the classic tic-tac-toe game but with an academic twist! Playing games helps keep my students excited and engaged in learning."
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Judith Philias

My advice to other teachers who are using Ģý is to familiarize yourself with the platform, because it will help you explore everything it has to offer. The site has so much information, and for some individuals it can become overwhelming. Familiarizing yourself with the and search feature is a great way to start! After you learn to navigate the website (as best as you can), choose one, watch the instructional video, read the teacher’s guide, and lastly, apply the strategy in your classroom. Another great feature is that some strategies include their own graphic organizer!

Picture of Judith Philias

Judith Philias

Judith Philias is an Elementary ELA Teacher located in Miami, Florida. She has been teaching for 16 years, and is a member of the Discovery Educator Network as a DEN STAR. Judith currently serves as her school's Third Grade department chair, one of the Future Educators of America (FEA) club sponsor, and Dance Team club sponsor. She is passionate about differentiated instruction and challenging her students in new ways!

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