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The missing link in reading reform: Centering English learners in state literacy policies

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The missing link in reading reform: Centering English learners in state literacy policies

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shared during SLC Session 15

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The missing link in reading reform: Centering English learners in state literacy policies - National Council on Teacher Quality

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Thirty Million Words: Building A Child's Brain - Dana Suskind

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Thirty Million Words: Building A Child's Brain - Dana Suskind

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Dana Suskind - Thirty Million Words: Building A Child's Brain

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Structured Literacy: An Approach Grounded in the Science of Reading

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Structured Literacy: An Approach Grounded in the Science of Reading

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Shared during SLC Session 15

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Teaching English Learners: What Every Educator Should Know, with Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ed.D.

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Welcome to our languages learning site which focuses on grammar and vocabulary. We have useful resources that you might enjoy for free such as: lessons, grammar tips, vocabulary, phrases, language tools, and audio files to download.

Languages Lessons

Learning new languages can help you communicate with other people and also understand their culture and behavior. Here is a list of the languages we offer:

MYLANGUAGES.ORG is a website dedicated to language learning. Our goal is to build an on-line language community where people from all over the world with the same passion can come and learn a language through grammar, vocabulary, audio, dictionaries, quizzes and much more resources. All our pages are available absolutely FREE. Our philosophy is that you shouldn't have to pay to learn a language! All we ask is to share this site with others so that they can benefit too.

Learning a language has many benefits some of which are: an understanding of the world, leading to a better career potential, sharpening cognitive skills, appreciating international literature, experiencing a more enjoyable travel, making lifelong friends and ultimately understanding one's own culture and self. Enjoy learning with mylanguages.org. Don't forget to bookmark this page.

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Learn Languages - Grammar and Vocabulary

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This website offers free learning lessons in 100 languages from Afrikaans to Zulu from grammar, vocabulary to phrases and quizes. Enjoy learnign with our lessons!

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All about teaching reading and writing. Subscribe to explore all of our teaching videos and get notified as we add more videos! — Reading Universe is a new service of WETA/Reading Rockets, the Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI), and First Book. We are deeply grounded in the remarkable story of BRI, founded in 2000 by Jim Barksdale to advance literacy in his home state of Mississippi. Historically ranked at or near the bottom in terms of reading achievement, Mississippi’s rankings have improved dramatically over the last decade; and the state has made more progress in its reading scores than any other. Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, the AFT; the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation; and anonymous donors.

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COPY Multi-sensory for Kilpatrick 1 - minute drills

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Shared during SLC Session 14

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Fostering Reading Through Language 📚 An abundance of research has proven that oral language is the “soil” in which reading grows. Children learn to map print to meaning most successfully when they have strong foundations in vocabulary, syntax, narrative knowledge, and listening comprehension. These skills support not only learning letter–sound relationships but also integrating words into coherent ideas. Across developmental research, early language differences are not a minor precursor but a major driver of later reading outcomes. Children who begin school with weaker oral language are more likely to follow risk trajectories in which decoding may develop unevenly and reading comprehension becomes increasingly fragile as texts and classroom discourse grow more linguistically complex. In other words, as academic demands shift from “learning to read” toward “reading to learn,” oral language increasingly determines how well students can infer, integrate background knowledge, and learn from text, in turn shaping long-term trajectories for achievement, engagement, and identification for support. The presentation emphasizes that strengthening oral language early through explicit instruction, rich interaction, and timely screening/intervention can change these pathways by reducing downstream comprehension difficulties and supporting more resilient, equitable reading development over time. ✨

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For Language Comprehension and Word Recognition

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New ECHO Literacy opportunity for 2026-2027

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New ECHO Literacy opportunity for 2026-2027

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Eligibility: SLC alumni

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Guide for 3/17/26 session

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SLS 3.17 Comprehension Breakout Guide.docx (3)

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SLC Session 13 with Rose Olmstead

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SLC Session 13 from Rose Olsmtead

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Explicit Instruction - Elementary : Video 04

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Session 12 SLC shared by Allison Caldwell

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The History and Intent of The Reading League's Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines (CEGs)

Although the scientific evidence base for effective reading has existed for decades, the term "science of reading" has gained traction in the last few years, potentially leading to misunderstandings. As a result, The Reading League convened a group of experts who believed that a common definition would do the following:

support educators as they discern what is and what is not in alignment with the science of reading

assist people in becoming informed consumers of instructional materials, professional development, and resources

impact publishers' and policymakers' decisions as they develop materials and policy guidelines

In working together to clarify a definition, the Science of Reading: Defining Guide was created to provide all stakeholders with a clear understanding of what the science of reading is, what it is not, and much more. The Defining Guide also includes 11 calls to action for all stakeholders. Pertinent to this Curriculum Decision Makers content is the following call to action: " We call on curriculum publishers and professional learning providers to create and promote products that are aligned with the science of reading and to eliminate non-aligned products from their offerings. " Unfortunately, some publishers continue to offer materials and professional development that claim to be aligned with the science of reading but are not.

Many states have mandated the use of high-quality instructional materials to be chosen from lists based on alignment to standards, useability, and often one other feature-outdated practices. Alignment with the science of reading was frequently not included in the development of these lists. While some have identified aligned practices within curricula, none identified non-aligned practices. As a result, many states adopt curricula featuring instructional practices that can inadvertently prevent students from developing proficient reading and writing skills.

To assist curriculum decision makers, The Reading League developed its Curriculum Evaluation Tool, later renamed Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines (CEGs) in 2022. The most recent update of the CEGs (February 2023) places red flag practices front and center in the review process to help decision makers steer clear of curricula featuring them.

Structure and Use of the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines

The practices used to review curricula are those featured in Hollis Scarborough's reading rope metaphor. These are the elements required for word recognition (phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and phonic decoding) and language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, knowledge of language structures, verbal reasoning, literacy knowledge). The CEGs also review curricula for practices related to fluency, writing (handwriting, spelling, composition), reading comprehension, and assessment.

The Reading League's CEGs are derived directly from scientifically-based research; that they are neither arbitrary nor biased is an incomparable strength of this resource.

When using The Reading League's CEGs, users should carefully examine the following features:

1. Preliminary statements and directions: Recommendations for review teams are provided. Teams should be comprised of educators who have been trained in curriculum-agnostic professional learning to build their knowledge in the science of reading. Decision makers from across tiers of instruction should be included, even if they will not be using the materials, to ensure that students are receiving the same instruction, grounded in the evidence, in general and specialized instruction.

2. Reviewer workbook: This workbook provides space for reviewers to rate the level at which they have found a red flag statement to be true. Reviewers can also note the location and language of the evidence to ensure the review is based on factual evidence and reduce subjectivity.

3. Reference section: An extensive and thorough listing of empirical research and meta-analyses related to each of the aligned and red flag practices in the CEGs is substantiated with a reference from the scientific evidence base.

It is essential to review all components of instruction to ensure your instructional materials provide robust teaching and practice in all components of language and literacy. Empowered with the knowledge of a thorough review, informed educators, coaches, and administrators can leverage this knowledge to ensure their instruction is grounded in evidence.
Stakeholder Uses of The Reading League's CEGs

Schools and districts: CEGs can be used to review existing instructional materials or as a walkthrough tool for instructional practices to ensure teachers are not teaching one component of literacy at the expense of another.

State education agencies: CEGs are useful as a gateway criterion for schools and districts to leverage for curriculum decision-making.

Institutions of higher education: CEGs are an important part of a framework for course syllabi, first teaching students about the research that substantiates each section, followed by deepening student understanding of the red flag practices and aligned practices. Since many schools and districts are shifting to high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) over teacher-created lessons, at the end of the semester, faculty members will ask students to review HQIM using the CEGs to teach them how to be critical consumers of their instructional materials.

Publishers: CEGs can be used to develop and refine content to align with the science of reading. This resource is not recommended, however, to be completed by publishers and distributed to schools and districts for marketing purposes.

Have you used the CEGs in another way? We'd love to hear about it! Email info@thereadingleague.org to let us know.

Using the CEGs to Review Curricula: The Development of The Reading League's Curriculum Navigation Reports

The most common question asked of The Reading League and of many other organizations and social media groups is, "Does my curriculum align with the science of reading?" In 2022, The Reading League developed a process to provide an answer.

Although the CEGs were created to guide teams of curriculum decision makers in the work of evaluating curricula, The Reading League realized that it continued to be intense work. Many consumers lacked the time, resources, or knowledge to be thorough evaluators of instructional materials.

The following are steps taken to formally review curricula:

1. The Reading League launched a pilot review study to develop a non-biased, informational report for some of the most widely used curricula in the United States.

2. Based on this pilot review, small revisions were made to the CEGs and the accompanying workbook.

3. Dr. Matthew Burns conducted an interrater reliability study on the CEGs (see the Interrater Reliability section that follows for more details). The interrater reliability of the CEGs was affirmed.

4. Review teams of three experts were hired and trained.

5. Publishers were contacted and informed that The Reading League wanted to review their curriculum (at no cost). The process was described. If publishers agreed to participate, materials were to be sent directly to the teams. Upon completion of the review, materials were returned to the publishers.

6. Review teams meticulously reviewed all K-5 materials of their assigned curricula. Each person on a team reviewed the programs independently. They then gathered and discussed their findings as a group, and if there were disagreements, a consensus was reached.

7. Data and evidence were gathered and presented to a writer, who drafted them into narrative reports.

8. Reports were then shared with the publishers to ensure nothing was inaccurately represented.

9. Narrative reports were finalized-The Reading League's Curriculum Navigation Reports are born!

The Reading League does not, and will not, recommend particular curricula. Decision makers can trust that these reviews and those involved in the review process, are entirely free from conflicts of interest and financial ties to publishers. The intent of these reports is to provide useful information on some of the most widely-used instructional materials for schools, districts, and states as they work towards building instruction, assessment, and systems aligned to the science of reading.

Interrater Reliability

Dr. Matthew Burns conducted an interrater reliability study of the Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines. This section provides a link to the pre-print of this study along with the abstract.
Reliability and Validity of The Reading League Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines
Abstract: The current study examined the reliability of The Reading League Curriculum-Evaluation Guidelines (CEGs), which were developed to help school-based teams rate the presence of red flags when considering adopting specific literacy curricula. A total of 30 coders (n = 30) independently used the CEGs to evaluate a free online English language arts curriculum. The coders consisted of 23.3% (n = 7) Ph.D. students in special education with previous teaching experience and master's degrees, and 76.7% (n = 23) preservice special education teachers completing their final semester of coursework before beginning their student teaching experiences. The results indicated strong internal consistency (a = 0.96), high interrater reliability (Hmean = .91, 95% CI =.89 to .93, p < .01), and an acceptable estimate of content validity (Vmean = .70, 95% CI =.68 to .72, p < .01). Overall, the CEGs demonstrated acceptable to strong evidence for being a psychometrically sound tool for evaluating reading curricula. The data were sufficiently reliable and resulted in acceptable evidence for content validity.

Publishers: Declining to Participate or Lack of Response

Some publishers declined to provide materials for The Reading League Curriculum Navigation Report review. Those publishers are listed below. The Reading League will continue to reach out to these organizations to request the opportunity to review their programs.
Publishers that declined review or did not respond:

American Reading Company (Declined 2023 and 2024)

Benchmark Education (Declined 2023 and 2024)

Heinemann's Fountas & Pinnell (Did not respond 2023)

Savaas' MyView (Declined 2023 and 2024)

Heinemann's Units of Study (Did not respond 2023)

Critical Considerations: Curriculum Navigation Reports

The Reading League's Curriculum Navigation Reports are the result of years of dedicated work.
To consider before you use the Navigation Reports

1. They are presented to you as informational reports to support decisions on instructional materials.

2. TRL does not recommend curricula, so there is not a mechanism for passing or failing.

3. The first and most important step in aligning a system to the science of reading is to build educator and administrator knowledge. Without professional knowledge about reading instruction related to the science of reading, even the most robust curriculum will not be successful.

4. There is no perfect curriculum.

5. The Curriculum Navigation Reports are intended to help knowledgeable educators understand more about which practices might be avoided, enhanced, or supplemented in instruction and/or determine which curriculum is most suitable for your setting.

To consider as you review the Navigation Reports

1. A Tier I curriculum often consists of an extensive array of materials. A common concern noted by our review teams is that there is insufficient time within the school day to cover all included content. In response to the requests of their consumers, publishers inflate their programs with supplementary materials, add-ons, and extension activities. This makes it challenging and time-consuming to locate necessary or recommended materials for a given lesson across manuals, texts, and digital platforms. Determining what to prioritize or omit due to time constraints can be unclear.
With these points in mind, it is imperative to review the Navigation Reports with a keen eye toward the CEGs.
Address ALL components of the CEGs even if there is no red flag present. For example, if a program did not receive a red flag because it has sufficient writing instruction, be sure to leverage that component of the program! If you take these reports at face value and do not teach and practice each component of the CEGs that was identified, you will be inadvertently creating a red flag of your own by not including it in instruction.

2. Ensure ALL practices are aligned with the science of reading. For example, evidence-aligned word recognition skills are essential but not sufficient. Skilled reading requires word recognition skills and knowledge building, oral language, writing skills, etc.

3. The mere inclusion of a component in the curriculum does not guarantee sufficient practice for successful outcomes. Frequently, the crucial concept of practice (e.g., spaced/distributed, cumulative/interleaved, retrieval practice, corrective feedback) is overlooked in teacher manuals. Therefore, utilizing data to tailor instruction and ensure mastery before progressing is critical.

4. It is crucial to assess the extent to which instructional materials foster and celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity of students.

5. Note the publication dates of the reviewed curriculum, as the particular edition may feature practices different from the ones featured in these Curriculum Navigation Reports.

The Curriculum Navigation Reports: Coming May 1, 2024

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The Reading League's Curriculum Navigation Reports offer curriculum decision-makers an unbiased review of curricular alignment with the scientific evidence base.

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SCL Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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The Word Collector - By Peter H. Reynolds | Children's Books Read Aloud

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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Skip to content

'The Word Collector', written and illustrated by the amazing Peter H. Reynolds, is one of those books that speaks to my soul. This resource - we can keep things simple, looking at the <collect> matrix. And we can also dive in deeper, looking at <collect> as a stem with an assimilated prefix and bound base.

What do you notice about the structure of these words?

What do these words mean?

Do these words share a connection in meaning?

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The Word Collector: | Can Do Kids Academy

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'The Word Collector', written and illustrated by the amazing Peter H. Reynolds, is one of those books that speaks to my soul. This resource - we can keep things simple, looking at the matrix. And we can also dive in deeper, looking at as a stem with an assimilated prefix and bound base.

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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Sample Scarborough's Rope Planning Guide for Read Alouds

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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Sample Scarborough's Rope Planning Guide for Read Alouds

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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Maximize Your Read-Alouds to Build Language Comprehension

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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Morphology Home / Matrix Home

Welcome

Welcome to the main information page for Mini Matrix-Maker.

We aim to provide a simple low-cost web-based tool for creating word matrices, similar to the one below. For the moment, the current version is free.

Visit our Morphology Home page for other useful tools, which can help you improve your matrices.

Run Mini Matrix-Maker (free version)

Click the link below to run the program.

www.neilramsden.co.uk/spelling/matrix/run.html?version=temp

You may wish to add a bookmark to this link.

Please read the current terms and conditions before running it. They may be updated periodically.

Free Usage

We may charge for using the Mini Matrix-Maker in future, but for the moment usage is free. The most likely next step will be to include a voluntary donation box to help keep this web-site active.

Using Mini Matrix-Maker now doesn't commit you to any future involvement.

Example Matrix

View a sample Matrix Results Page, built from word sums around the base element <mode>.

What is Mini Matrix-Maker?

Mini Matrix-Maker will automatically build a word matrix for you from the set of word sums in your word family.

Normally, deciding how to organise your word matrix can be hard to get right and even one small change to your word sums can make a big difference in how the matrix looks.

Mini Matrix-Maker makes life easy for you, because all you have to do is concentrate on the word sums. From there, building an accurate, attractive matrix is all done for you.

How do you use a Word Matrix?

Word matrices are powerful tools for exploring and testing knowledge of word structure. They provide a graphical shorthand for illustrating families of interrelated words.

Word matrices read from left to right.

From them, you make single, complete words.

You may use one element from a column at a time.

You don't have to take an element from every column of a matrix - but you must not "leapfrog" over a column.

How does Mini Matrix-Maker compare with Word Microscope?

The Word Microscope program can more actively guide you in creating word sums and matrices. It recognises prefixes, bases, connecting vowels and suffixes, and includes checks and reference tools. You can also easily save and retrieve your work, or print a customised findings log.

Learn more by reading the quick comparison between Word Microscope and the Mini Matrix-Maker.

There is a Word Microscope download for Microsoft Windows, which can be used for free for a limited period.

Word matrices originated within Real Spelling. Visit the Real Spellers web-site to discover more about Real Spelling concepts and the role of matrices in understanding English orthography.

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Welcome to the main information page for Mini Matrix-Maker.

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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Simple Explicit Instructional Vocabulary Routine 

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Simple Explicit Instructional Vocabulary Routine 

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SLC Session 12 with Allison Caldwell

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To be used for Session 18 with Doria Sullivan

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Language Experience in the Second Year of Life Predicts Language Outcomes in Late Childhood

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Quantity of talk and interaction in the home during early childhood correlates with socioeconomic status (SES) and predicts early language and cognitive outcomes. This study tested the effectiveness of automated early language environment estimates…

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Once a student has learned the alphabetic code, their vocabulary knowledge is the strongest predictor of reading comprehension. But how do we know which words to teach our students? And what is the best way to teach these words? Choosing rich vocabulary for instruction, preplanning vocabulary routines, and creating a vocabulary-rich classroom are all research-based ways to promote student vocabulary development.

Choosing Words for Instruction

It is impossible to directly teach all the vocabulary words that a student needs to learn in their academic career. So, we must be intentional about the words we teach directly, the words students encounter incidentally, and the skills we teach for learning vocabulary independently.

Research supports the idea that we can explicitly teach about 10 to 12 words per week and about three to five words per text. These are the words we teach in depth. Often called Tier 2 words, they share these characteristics:

Students don't already know them

They are critical for understanding the central themes and main ideas in the text

They are likely to come up in other books, subjects, grade levels, etc.

They are difficult to learn from context and require more than a brief explanation

Each Voyager Passport® Read to Understand lesson includes three Tier 2 vocabulary words that are explicitly taught before reading.

In contrast to words we teach deeply, we can teach many other words quickly by giving a synonym, a quick definition, or an example. We don't need to spend valuable instructional time on these words, but it is worth a brief explanation to help expand our students' vocabulary breadth. Dr. Nancy Hennessy, in her book The Reading Comprehension Blueprint, calls this teaching style "incidentally-on-purpose" and I love the intentionality of that phrase!

Modeling how to look for context clues, such as synonyms, antonyms, definitions, or examples, that give clues to a word's meaning

Modeling how to look for morphemes (prefixes, suffixes, and root words) that hint at a word's meaning

Teaching students how to look up words in physical or online dictionaries for times when context isn't enough

As the demands for reading to learn increase, students will inevitably encounter new vocabulary in their independent reading. To support this, we can teach students to self-monitor for unknown words, and we can teach strategies for inferring their meanings. These strategies will serve our students long after they leave our classroom. They include:

Before reading in a Voyager Passport Read to Understand lesson, a student has identified the syllables and morphemes in their vocabulary words.

Planning for Instruction
Explicit Vocabulary Routine:

1. Pronounce it, write it, read it.
Call attention to the word's pronunciation and spelling. Have students pronounce and write the word too. Check student pronunciation. Point out relevant regular and irregular spelling patterns and syllable types in the word.

2. Give a student-friendly definition.
Give a definition using words that your students will understand. Use concrete examples, pictures, videos, and gestures. Explain the word's connection to other words. Point out any helpful morphemes.

3. Say more about the word.
Use the word in sentences. Explain any multiple meanings. Discuss the word's part of speech and how to use the word in sentences. Give examples and nonexamples.

4. Ask students yes or no questions about the word.

5. Have students use the word.
Support students with sentence stems and questions. Have students talk with a partner and write, when possible.

Quality vocabulary instruction requires teachers to preplan the vocabulary words they will teach from the specific texts they are using in their classroom. When teaching words explicitly, a vocabulary routine is a helpful way for teachers to plan and deliver instruction. The routine below is one that I have adapted from my LETRS ® training. You can find a copy to edit here.

The view of a student journal during whole-group explicit vocabulary instruction.

A student writes and pronounces vocabulary words during a Voyager Passport Read to Understand lesson.

Vocabulary sentences are included in a Voyager Passport Adventure Checkpoint.

A Vocabulary-Rich Classroom

Be intentional about the words you use when speaking to students. When giving directions, use specific words and include rich vocabulary. Then rephrase the directions in simpler terms. Go ahead and use those fancy words when you talk to students. Then stop and ask them if they know what the word means. Compliment your students when they use fancy words in their speech and writing.

Be thoughtful about students who struggle to decode words so you can provide them with opportunities to hear rich vocabulary. These students deserve opportunities to grow their vocabulary even if they can't do it through independent reading (yet!). Incorporate read alouds, audiobooks, and podcasts into your classroom. Let students listen to books during independent reading times.

Point out amazing vocabulary when you see it. Reuse vocabulary words often. I've made it a habit to wear a different vocabulary word on a lanyard every day. I challenge my students to use that word during the day and it reminds me to use it too.

Incorporate vocabulary activities into other areas of instruction. When sorting words with a similar phonics pattern, ask students if they know the meaning of the words. Challenge them to sort the words by parts of speech. In science, have students classify or sort words based on their relationships. Or, have students create drawings, videos, or hand gestures to help remember key vocabulary. The vocabulary possibilities are truly endless.

Students need multiple exposures to words before they truly own them, so the importance of a vocabulary-rich classroom cannot be overlooked. To close out this post, I will share some of my favorite ways to boost vocabulary use in an elementary classroom.

I wear a different vocabulary word each day to encourage my students and myself to use rich vocabulary throughout the day.

References:
Hennessy, N. L. (2021). The reading comprehension blueprint: Helping students make meaning from text. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Moats, L. C., & Tolman, C. A. (2019). LETRS (3rd ed., Vol. 1). Voyager Sopris.

Such, C. (2021). The art and science of teaching primary reading. Corwin, a SAGE Publishing Company.

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Vocabulary Instruction: Strategies for the Classroom

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Once a student has learned the alphabetic code, their vocabulary knowledge is the strongest predictor of reading comprehension. But how do we know which words to teach our students? And what is the best way to teach these words?

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SLS - Session 17 with Doria Sullivan

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Vocabulary Instruction - 2nd

Grade Level: Second Grade

School: McKinley Elementary School

Location: Tacoma, Washington

Materials: Wolf! By Becky Bloom

Videographer: Dima Yaremenko
Elapsed Time: 7:54 Introduction:
The students have listened to the read aloud book, Wolf! by Becky Bloom. During the reading of the book, brief explanations of words were given. Three words were selected for explicit, robust vocabulary instruction: concentrate, impressed, and educated.

Focus: As you watch this video, ask yourself:

1) What instructional steps were used to introduce each of the vocabulary words?

2) What other good instructional practices did you observe?
Feedback:

These instructional steps were used:

Write the word on the board or show it on a screen.

Pronounce the word or guide students in using their decoding skills to determine the pronunciation of the word.

Have students pronounce the word, repeating the word a number of times if the word is unfamiliar or difficult to pronounce.

Be sure that the definition contains only known words and is easy to understand.

The examples can be concrete, visual, or verbal.

Verbal examples were used to illustrate concentrate, impressed, and educated.

Use one of these methods:

Ask "deep processing questions".

Have students discern between examples and non-examples.

Have students generate examples.

The instructor:

Group responses (choral responses) when the answers were short and the same.

Partner responses when the answers were long or different.

Partner responses followed by individual turns.

Thumbs up to indicate that they had an answer.

Infusing decoding in presentation of words by having students read the long words by parts.

Involving the students in the examples.

Providing multiple exposures to each word.

Relating the words to their use in the read aloud book.

Reviewing words at the end with simple word associations.

Suggesting ways that the words could be used.

c. Coached students during partner responses allowing students to experience success when they answered in front of classmates.
NOTE: In the video entitled Read Aloud - Wolf 2nd, the students participate in the reading of the book, Wolf! After the read aloud, students are taught three words from the story as shown in this video.

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Explicit Instructions | Effective and Efficient Teaching

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Grade Level: Second Grade School: McKinley Elementary School Location: Tacoma, Washington Materials: Wolf! By Becky Bloom Videographer: Dima Yaremenko Elapsed Time: 7:54 Introduction: The students have listened to the read aloud book, Wolf! by Becky Bloom. During the reading of the book, brief explanations of words were given.

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One-pager provided by Doria Sullivan for Session 18 on 2/16/26

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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Blue & White Gradient Voucher  Gift Certificate

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Presenter Resource for SLC - Harry The Dirty Dog Worksheet

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Presenter Resource for SLC - Harry The Dirty Dog Worksheet

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SLC Session 10 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 10 with Tawnya Yates

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'Harry the Dirty Dog' read by Betty White

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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Recently, I've been receiving questions about The Writing Rope framework for writing instruction that I developed in 2019, which is also part of the title of a new book that will be published in the summer of 2022. (Click here to read a related blog post). Some of those questions go something like this: "Is there also a Simple View of Writing?" in reference to Gough and Tunmer's 1986 reading model The Simple View of Reading. So I decided to focus this post on a model that started out as The Simple View of Writing (Berninger et al., 2002) but was then expanded to The Not So Simple View of Writing (Berninger & Winn, 2006).

As Kim and Schatschneider explain (2017), the original Simple View of Writing is a theoretical framework focused on writing as the product of two necessary sets of skills: lower-level transcription skills (spelling and handwriting/keyboarding) and text generation (also called ideation, including word, sentence, and text level writing). The Not So Simple View of Writing expanded the framework by adding and emphasizing executive function and self-regulatory processes (e.g., attention, goal setting, reviewing), and working memory (needed during the planning stage of the writing process), and short term memory (needed during the review stage). (Also see Ahmed et al., 2021 explanation).
Visual Representation of The Not So Simple View

This graphic is a visual representation of The Not So Simple View attributed to Berninger. Note the prominent place that working memory holds in relationship to text generation, transcription, and executive functions. Without working memory, writers cannot hold on to what they want to say long enough to be able to decide which words and sentences to write!
Writing is Complex
Proficient writers must integrate multiple skills, strategies and techniques in order to produce a quality piece of writing that reflects what they want to say. The Writing Rope framework organizes these elements into five strands that are woven together to enable skilled writing, listed below. The first four strands are related to the text generation component of The Not So Simple View, with the fifth strand aligning to the transcription component.

Critical Thinking: Generate ideas, gather information, apply the writing process

Syntax: Write sophisticated, elaborated sentences

Text Structure: Apply knowledge of paragraph and longer text structure, incorporate patterns of organization and related transitions

Writing Craft: Consider the task, audience, and purpose; incorporate writer's moves

Transcription: Spell and handwrite or keyboard at an automatic level

But in order to integrate all of these strands, students must have sufficient executive function abilities including attention, the ability to set goals and organize, self-monitoring and regulation, and cognitive flexibility to be able to constantly adjust the application of multiple writing skills (Graham & Harris, 2000; Meltzer, 2010; Cartwright, 2015). Harris, Schmidt, and Graham explain the role of executive functions this way:

"While negotiating the rules and mechanics for writing, the writer must maintain focus on factors such as organization, form and features, purposes and goals, audience needs and perspectives, and evaluation of the communication between author and reader. Self-regulation of the writing process is critical; the writer must be goal oriented, resourceful, and reflective... For skilled authors, writing is a flexible, goal-directed activity, scaffolded by a rich source of cognitive processes and strategies for planning, text production, and revision." (p. 1)
Simple View or Not So Simple View?
Writing instruction does not receive the same high level of attention in terms of research and discussion about best practices that reading instruction does. The result is that at the present time, it is difficult to find much information about whether educators should refer to Berninger's model as The Simple View or The Not So Simple View. Some refer to the core elements of Berninger's theoretical model (transcription, text generation, executive functions, working memory) as just The Simple View, while others are aware of Berninger's addition of Not So to the title. My guess is that in keeping with the well-known title The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986), some will find it easier to apply the same title to writing. I prefer to use the longer title that represents Berninger (and colleagues) expanded emphasis on executive function and working memory. Regardless, the important take-away for teachers is to remember that writing is a VERY COMPLEX process, and that we should not forget the important role that executive functions and memory play. It is especially important to keep this in mind when working with students who have difficulty with writing, including those with a specific learning disability.

Click here to learn more about Keys to Content Writing instructional practices for grades 3-12, and click here for Keys to Early Writing. The Keys to Literacy free resources collection also has a number of videos, archived webinars, and templates/printables that support writing instruction.
References:

Ahmed, Y, Kent, S, Cirino, P.T., & Keller-Margulis, M. (2021). The Not-So-Simple View of Writing in Struggling Readers/Writers. Reading & Writing Quarterly. Link.

Berninger, V. W., Abbot, R.D., Abbot, S. P., Graham, S., RIchards, T. (2002). Writing and reading: Connections between language by hand and language by eye. Journal of Learning Disabilities 35(1), pp 38-56.

Berninger, V. W., & Winn, W. D. (2006). Implications of Advancements in Brain Research and Technology for Writing Development, Writing Instruction, and Educational Evolution. In C. A. MacArthur, S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of writing research (p. 96-114). The Guilford Press.

Cartwright, K. B. (2015). Executive skills and reading comprehension. New York: The Guilford Press.

Gough, P.B., & Tunmer, W.E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10.

Graham, S. & Harris, R. (2000). The role of self-regulation and transcription skills in writing and writing development. Educational Psychologist, 35(1).

Kim, Y.S. & Schatschneider, C. (2017). Expanding the developmental models of writing: A direct and indirect effects model of developmental writing. Educational Pyschology, 109 (1). pp 35-50. Link.

Meltzer, L. (2010). Executive function in the classroom. New York: The Guilford Press.

Joan Sedita

Joan Sedita is the founder of Keys to Literacy and author of the Keys to Literacy professional development programs. She is an experienced educator, nationally recognized speaker and teacher trainer. She has worked for over 35 years in the literacy education field and has presented to thousands of teachers and related professionals at schools, colleges, clinics, and professional conferences.

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The Not So Simple View of Writing - Keys to Literacy

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Recently, I've been receiving questions about The Writing Rope framework for writing instruction that I developed in 2019, which is also part of the title of a new book that will be published in the summer of 2022. (Click here to read a related blog post).

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The Role of Executive Functions in Reading and Writing 

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The Role of Executive Functions in Reading and Writing 

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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The Role of Executive Functions in Reading and Writing - Keys to Literacy

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Executive functions are the mental processes that students and adults use to manage tasks and achieve goals. These include goal setting, organization, cognitive flexibility, working memory, self-monitoring, attention, and inhibition. Executive functions play an important role in supporting proficient reading and writing across all grades. By grade 5, however, students’ success in reading and writing becomes increasing dependent on their ability to apply these executive function processes (Meltzer, 2010; Cartwright, 2015).

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The Writing Revolution Membership Packet 

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The Writing Revolution Membership Packet 

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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SLC Session 11 with Tawnya Yates

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Dr. Debra McKeown SRSD Researcher, Texas A&M University

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The Science of Writing | SRSD Writing Interventions

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SRSD Online offers writing programs based on 40 years of research into the science of writing. We have redefined the best practices in writing instruction.

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SLC Session 10 with Tawnya Yates

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De-implementation. Creating the space to focus on what works

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De-implementation. Creating the space to focus on what works

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Peter M Dewitt

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DE IMPLEMENTATION CREATING THE SPACE TO FOCUS ON WHAT WORKS Peter M. Dewitt Download | PDF | Policy | Education Reform

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The document discusses Peter M. DeWitt’s book ‘De-Implementation: Creating the Space to Focus on What Works,’ which emphasizes the importance of reducing ineffective practices in education to enhance focus on impactful initiatives. It provides practical frameworks and tools for educators to evaluate and streamline their efforts, encouraging a shift from over-implementation to thoughtful discernment. The book is well-received, with endorsements highlighting its relevance in addressing the clutter of educational initiatives.

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Shared in the chat by Doria Sullivan

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Shared by Amy Siracusano on 1/20/26

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Shared by Amy Siracusano on 1/20/26

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Copy of Copy of Sentence Level Choice Menu Descriptors.pdf

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Shared by Amy Siracusano on 1/20/26

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Writing Lesson Template and Activity Choice Menu.docx.pdf

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UFLI Readers theater (suggested by SLS participant)

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UFLI Readers theater (suggested by SLS participant)

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Kinder Digital Presentation (password protected document. Copy the password below)

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Kinder Digital Presentation (password protected document. Copy the password below)

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Password: ECHO25-K

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SCC Digital – Kindergarten – Language Dynamics Group

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To access your Story Champs® digital materials, please enter the unique password on the inside of your Story Champs box or story book:

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Free Decodable Texts for Each Phonics Skill: Reading Universe

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Free Decodable Texts for Each Phonics Skill: Reading Universe

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List of Free Decodables

The short vowels skill explainer has everything you need to teach this, including lesson plans, student practice activities, and videos of great classroom instruction.

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Reading Universe | Free Decodable Texts for Each Phonics Skill

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Decodable texts are simple passages or books made for beginning readers that offer practice with specific phonics patterns.

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Decodable Text Sources: The Reading League

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The Reading League has compiled a list of options, not recommendations, of frequently requested decodable texts.

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A literacy solution to empower and engage striving readers beyond the 3rd grade. We provide reading support for teens through research-based & Science of Reading-aligned decodable readers and high-low books.

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Story Champs Language Intervention (password protected document. Copy the password below)

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Story Champs Language Intervention (password protected document. Copy the password below)

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Password: ECHO25-intervention

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Story Champs Digital Download Page - Language Dynamics Group

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Story Champs - Information Session 2+ 11.18.25

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Story Champs - Information Session 2+ 11.18.25

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ECHO NM Grades 2+ Story Champs Info Session 11/18/25

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Story Champs - Information Session K1 recording 11.13.25

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Story Champs - Information Session K1 recording 11.13.25

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ECHO NM Story Champs K-1 Information Session 11/13/25

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Story Champs Digital Presentation (contains icons for printing. Go to lesson 1, click icons only)

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Story Champs Digital Presentation (contains icons for printing. Go to lesson 1, click icons only)

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Story Champs Grade 1 Curriculum digital assets (password protected document. Copy the password below)

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Password: ECHO25-G1

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SCC Digital – Grade 1 – Language Dynamics Group

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To access your Story Champs® digital materials, please enter the unique password on the inside of your Story Champs box or story book:

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Story Champs Digital Presentation (contains icons for printing. Go to lesson 1, click icons only)

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Story Champs Digital Presentation (contains icons for printing. Go to lesson 1, click icons only)

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Story Champs Digital Presentation (contains icons for printing. Go to lesson 1, click icons only)

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Story Champs Digital Presentation (contains icons for printing. Go to lesson 1, click icons only)

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Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education (CORE Learning) Data Entry Forms: Assessing Reading: Multiple Measures, Revised 2nd Edition

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Teacher Professional Learning | Literacy, Math | MTSS

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When Students Insert Sounds While Decoding

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When Students Insert Sounds While Decoding

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Small-Group Reading Instruction Is Not as Effective as You Think

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Small-Group Reading Instruction Is Not as Effective as You Think

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George Orwell once wrote that restating the obvious is the "first duty of intelligent people." In that vein, allow us to restate the case for what may be literacy instruction's richest but still-overlooked opportunity: a shift to mostly whole-class instruction during the early elementary "literacy block." There is a gold mine of potential here.

Early-grade reading proficiency is powerfully predictive of later school success and life chances. Because of this, most schools we've visited in our 30-plus years of experience observing classrooms allot a generous two hours to daily literacy instruction.

But there's a problem: Much of that literacy block in grades K-3 is often held captive to the small-group format. Over 90% of elementary school teachers report meeting with small groups of students three to five times a week. In practice, this means we are squandering learning time and reducing the odds that the most vulnerable students learn to read, speak, and write effectively.

Let's do the math: A typical literacy period in grades K-3 lasts 120 minutes. If we divide a class of about 25 students into groups of four or five, that means that at least four groups are taught separately. Allowing for 20 minutes for the transitions between groups, each group receives only about 25 minutes of instruction from the teacher. If there are five groups, they will receive even less.

With time so limited, teachers have to devote almost all those 25 minutes to phonics and foundational skills. This means critical elements of literacy are likely to be mostly or entirely ignored. Only miniscule amounts of time are left for explicit instruction in the other indispensable elements of literacy-like reading and being read to and lessons in fluency, vocabulary, prosody, knowledge acquisition, discussion, and writing.

Given the stakes, we must ask: Is the small-group model truly superior to whole-class teaching for either reading or foundational literacy skills? Alas, no-despite recent claims that the "science of reading" requires small groups. Though small groups can be effective in certain circumstances, any advantage is wiped out by the model's drastic reduction in the amount of instructional dosage.

Moreover, the small-group framework characteristically embraces the misbegotten notion that students learn best when groups are ability-based or otherwise "differentiated." For years, small groups were deemed essential because of the supposed need to guide student reading with leveled texts. The assumption was that differences in reading ability necessitated finely grained, "differentiated," instruction and materials for each child or group to be successful. More recently, and under the banner of the "science of reading," small-group advocates are complicating and further fractionating the instructional environment by encouraging additional grouping for decoding instruction.

However, this hasn't been such a good idea for guided reading. As John Hattie has demonstrated in his meta-analyses, differentiated instruction is less effective than providing the same treatment for all students. It denies struggling students the opportunity to engage with challenging material and texts-as they fall further behind. In this way, small-group, differentiated instruction is especially hurtful to the poor and underachieving students who most need effective teaching.

In our own work, we have observed how this heavy dependence on instructional grouping has contributed to what one teacher trainer has lamented as the biggest trend in education: a draconian but unacknowledged decline in the amount of instruction students now receive in U.S. classrooms.

Consider the whole-class alternative in the same scenario: If elementary teachers provide a phonics lesson to the entire class for 30 minutes, those educators still have 90 minutes of instruction time for other vital literacy skills. Those teachers can then devote an additional 15 minutes of phonics instruction to that small group who struggled with the initial lesson, while still giving those lagging students a full 45 minutes of foundational skills. And we still have about 75 minutes left for teaching all students the other crucial-and often most enjoyable-aspects of literacy.

Some will object that this model overlooks the efficacy of having students work at "centers" or stations while waiting their turn with the teacher. Yet, we have never found a single study affirming this. In our consulting work, we've both seen how these centers routinely consist of low-value or "cut, color, paste" activities and worksheets. They keep students busy but do little or nothing to make them better readers. They are no substitutes for an explicit, outcome-driven lesson replete with multiple cycles of guided practice, checks for understanding, and targeted reteaching.

We need not abandon small-group instruction but should employ it sparingly-and strategically. By doing so, we would increase the amount of instruction at least threefold, overnight. It would allow every child to spend much more time reading with purpose and building reading stamina; acquiring knowledge and vocabulary; writing and learning to write and participating in meaningful discussions-every day, all year. Joined with serious teacher training in effective whole-class instruction, we could reasonably expect to see unprecedented improvements in early-grade literacy acquisition, with tremendous subsequent benefits across all courses and grade levels.

Best of all, research demonstrates that mostly whole-class instruction of purposeful reading, dialogue, and discussion would have its greatest impact on poor and minority students-the students who have demonstrated the greatest need for large infusions of the core elements of literacy. The best schools and teachers we know, in the most challenging settings, have relied on this model. They have been the highest-achieving teachers in their respective schools, even whole districts.

These facts demand a reckoning. What are we waiting for?

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Small-Group Reading Instruction Is Not as Effective as You Think (Opinion)

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We're missing out on a golden opportunity-one that could effectively triple literacy instruction overnight.

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Spanish Sound Wall from Dr. Fierro at 95% Group

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Spanish Sound Wall from Dr. Fierro at 95% Group

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95 El muro de sonidos y deletreo | 95 Percent Group

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Student Reading Achievement & Teacher Development