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Classroom Activity:
🔹 Activity Name: Sound Sorting
🔹 Description:
Students listen to words and sort them based on beginning, middle, or ending sounds. Use colorful picture cards for pre-readers.

🔹 How it Accommodates Different Levels:

Emerging learners: Sort by beginning sounds only with simple words (cat, dog).

Developing learners: Sort by middle or ending sounds (cap vs. cup).

Advanced learners: Identify and sort by blends (sn-, tr-, bl-).

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General Resource:
Reading Rockets – Phonemic Awareness Activities — Fun at-home games for building sound skills.

Challenging Home Situations Resource:
Zero to Three – "Activities Without Toys or Books" — Sound games families can do without needing books, technology, or extra materials (for low-resource homes).

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Classroom Activity:
🔹 Activity Name: Word Building with Letter Tiles
🔹 Description:
Students use plastic tiles or magnetic letters to build and change words (ex: changing "cat" to "cap" by swapping the final letter).

🔹 How it Accommodates Different Levels:

Emerging learners: Focus on building CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words like "dog" or "man".

Developing learners: Add blends and digraphs (ex: "ship," "trap").

Advanced learners: Introduce multisyllabic word building (ex: "sunshine").

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General Resource:
Starfall Phonics Games — Free online phonics games that adapt for early readers.

Challenging Home Situations Resource:
Printable No-Internet Phonics Packet (Colorín Colorado) — Bilingual (English/Spanish) printable activities for families without internet or English proficiency.

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Classroom Activity:
🔹 Activity Name: Partner Reading
🔹 Description:
Students read short passages aloud to a partner, taking turns and offering praise. Focus is on smoothness, accuracy, and expression.

🔹 How it Accommodates Different Levels:

Emerging learners: Use simple sentences or single-sentence books.

Developing learners: Read short paragraphs or early chapter books.

Advanced learners: Practice reading with emotion and pacing in dialogues or plays.

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General Resource:
PBS Kids – Reading Practice at Home — Fun strategies for repeated reading and expressive reading.

Challenging Home Situations Resource:
Unite for Literacy – Free Audiobook Library — Free online access to books read aloud in multiple languages for families with language barriers or no home library.

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National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print. MIT Press.

Rasinski, T. V. (2004). Assessing reading fluency. Pacific Resources for Education and Learning.

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Story Retelling with Puppets
After reading a familiar story (like The Three Little Pigs), students create simple puppets using paper bags or craft sticks and retell the story in small groups.

How This Supports Diverse Learners:

Younger or less developed learners can focus on retelling just one part of the story (beginning, middle, or end).

More advanced learners can add details or dialogue to their puppet shows.

ELLs and special education students can be given visual story maps and pre-made props to support memory and expression.

Gifted learners can be challenged to change the ending or add a new character.

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Book: The Reading Strategies Book by Jennifer Serravallo (great comprehension strategies for all learners)

Article: "Supporting ELLs Through Comprehension Strategies" (Reading Rockets)

Video: "Teaching Story Retelling in Early Childhood" (YouTube — includes visuals for diverse learners)

Podcast: Science of Reading: The Podcast — episodes about comprehension and diverse learners

Book: Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities by Lucy C. Martin (for special education needs)

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Supporting reading comprehension in students with and without exceptionalities requires intentional planning and flexible strategies. For young learners, interactive techniques like Picture Walks, Think-Alouds, and Retelling with Props naturally scaffold comprehension development. These methods allow all students, including English Language Learners (ELLs), special education students, and gifted students, to engage with text in a meaningful way. By adjusting the level of support — such as providing visuals, simplifying tasks, or offering enrichment extensions — teachers can ensure that all learners access and grow their comprehension skills. In addition, partnering with families through accessible resources, like bilingual eBooks and read-aloud videos, helps bridge gaps that might arise due to communication barriers, cultural differences, or housing instability. Building a classroom that supports both typical and exceptional learners is about meeting children where they are and providing multiple pathways to understanding. When teachers prioritize developmentally appropriate practices and family partnerships, all students have the opportunity to thrive as readers.

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National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2020). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs.

International Literacy Association. (2019). Improving Comprehension Instruction Through Research-Based Strategies.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners.

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Supporting students with and without exceptionalities in literacy development requires a multifaceted, inclusive approach. Students without exceptionalities benefit from structured, evidence-based instruction in phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension. However, students with exceptionalities—such as ELLs, gifted learners, or those with IEPs—require differentiation, visual supports, language scaffolds, and flexible pacing. Using strategies grounded in the science of reading ensures that all students access instruction aligned with how the brain learns to read. Family involvement also plays a crucial role. Providing parents with resources in their native language or that are accessible via mobile devices ensures inclusivity, especially for those facing communication or housing challenges. Tools like narrated e-books and bilingual websites help bridge school-home learning. In the classroom, using universal design for learning (UDL) principles and offering multi-sensory instruction fosters engagement and access for all learners. Whether through direct phonics instruction or language-rich story times, the goal is to nurture confident, capable readers. Encouraging families to partner in this journey—while offering the tools to do so—creates a strong foundation for lifelong literacy success.