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Conversing with others has given insights to different perspectives, helped build ideas, and solve problems. Academic conversations push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, challenging, and negotiating relevant ideas. In Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings authors Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford address the challenges teachers face when trying to bring thoughtful, respectful, and focused conversations into the classroom. They identify five core communications skills needed to help students hold productive academic conversation across content areas: Elaborating and Clarifying Supporting Ideas with Evidence Building On and/or Challenging Ideas Paraphrasing Synthesizing This book shows teachers how to weave the cultivation of academic conversation skills and conversations into current teaching approaches. More specifically, it describes how to use conversations to build the following: Academic vocabulary and grammar Critical thinking skills such as persuasion, interpretation, consideration of multiple perspectives, evaluation, and application Literacy skills such as questioning, predicting, connecting to prior knowledge, and summarizing An academic classroom environment brimming with respect for others' ideas, equity of voice, engagement, and mutual support The ideas in this book stem from many hours of classroom practice, research, and video analysis across grade levels and content areas. Readers will find numerous practical activities for working on each conversation skill, crafting conversation-worthy tasks, and using conversations to teach and assess. Academic Conversations offers an in-depth approach to helping students develop into the future parents, teachers, and leaders who will collaborate to build a better world.

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Conversing with others has given insights to different perspectives, helped build ideas, and solve problems. Academic conversations push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, ...

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Bacterial chromosomes are like spaghetti.

Blood vessels are like highways.

Bohr's model of the atom is like a bookcase.

The camera is like the eye.

A cell is like a factory.

DNA is like a spiral staircase.

A nuclear reaction is like falling dominoes.

Electricity is like flowing water.

The immune system is like the police force.

Layers of the earth are like a peach.

Building a protein is like building a house.

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English Thinking Skills, Prompts, and Response Frames

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English Thinking Skills, Prompts, and Response Frames

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Zwiers, J., & Crawford, M. (2023). Academic conversations: Classroom talk that fosters critical thinking and content understandings. Routledge.

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History Thinking Skills, Prompt Frames, and Response Frames

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History Thinking Skills, Prompt Frames, and Response Frames

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Zwiers, J., & Crawford, M. (2023). Academic conversations: Classroom talk that fosters critical thinking and content understandings. Routledge.

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Science Thinking Skills, Prompt Frames, and Response Frames

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Science Thinking Skills, Prompt Frames, and Response Frames

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Zwiers, J., & Crawford, M. (2023). Academic conversations: Classroom talk that fosters critical thinking and content understandings. Routledge.

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Nancy Motley's love for students and commitment to their education has been fully evident in her years as a teacher, reading specialist, intervention program coordinator, professional development instructor and curriculum developer. She is currently a full time Educational Consultant who works with schools and districts nationwide, specifically focusing on increasing students' literacy skills and academic language development across all content areas. She wrote Talk, Read, Talk, Write in response to the need she saw for more teachers to have an accessible way to help their students read academic texts at a rigorous level while also keeping them highly engaged.

Nancy is also co-author of The Diverse Learner Flip Book, and has developed a variety of trainings, with topics including how to meet the needs of Englsh learners, increase academic vocabulary development, and support non-fiction reading and writing. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and two daughters. For contact information, go to www.seidlitzeducation.com

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The Talk Read Talk Write approach helps students meet and exceed the state standards for learning in all subjects while also developing the literacy skills needed for success in the 21st century. This practical resource gives teachers (K-12) a step-by-step guide to implementing structured convers...

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Talk #1 Here’s how: Talk #1 1-2 minutes Engage with content concept and set a purpose for reading (the “hook.”) Overview Strategies: Ask…

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Literary Texts Qualitative Analysis Tool

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Literary Texts Qualitative Analysis Tool

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Informational Texts Qualitative Analysis Tool

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Informational Texts Qualitative Analysis Tool

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A Day in the Life of an Astronaut Student Copy

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The 5 Components of the Science of Reading - GoLexic

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A few decades ago, cognitive scientists compiled the research and identified five components of effective literacy instruction. This research is known as the Science of Reading.

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Really Great Reading | Specialists in Reading Education

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Lexia Learning Systems https://www.lexialearning.com/Assets/img/logo.svg 1984 978-405-6232 info@lexialearning.com 300 Baker Avenue, Suite 320 Concord MA 01742 USA

Low reading proficiency rates, exacerbated by interrupted learning, have made proven, research-based solutions a top priority for educators. While 95% of students can learn to read when using instruction based on the science of reading, currently only 35% are reading proficiently. This demonstrates that many districts and schools do not have equitable access to instruction grounded in the science of reading. The pandemic only further intensified the opportunity gap and shined a light on the need for more individualized student support and instruction. As school leaders look for solutions to accelerate learning for all students, many are turning to the science of reading.

The science of reading provides proven, evidence-based practices about how to best teach reading and support students of all abilities. Students, and their teachers, do not have time to waste on unproven practices.

The Challenge

How can the science of reading accelerate learning for all students?

Learning to read is complex.

Learning to speak a first language is a natural process for children, but learning to read is not. Children vary in reading ability and in the skills they bring to the classroom, each requiring individualized and differentiated instruction to be successful. That's why it's so critical teachers learn about the components of this complex process. The good news is we know more today about the essential elements of effective reading instruction than ever before-how children learn to read, the causes of reading difficulties, and how to prevent them. The science of reading incorporates decades of research into how students learn and how reading should be taught for a wide range of learners. Surprisingly, only 51% of pre-service teaching includes the science of reading.

Learn More

What is the science of reading?

The term "science of reading" refers to a large body of gold-standard research collected by cognitive scientists and other reading experts throughout more than five decades. It tells us how we learn to read and the most effective way for reading to be taught. The science of reading provides the evidence of what works best in reading instruction, clarifies instruction for students who have difficulty learning to read, and the exact skills that should be taught and how the instruction should be delivered. Structured Literacy is the application of that evidence into practical classroom instruction and informs best practices about how to best deliver it. Borne out of science, Structured Literacy is proven to develop deep levels of comprehension all learners need to become proficient and confident readers.

Three Cueing vs. The Science of Reading

The three-cueing system, often found in balanced literacy, is an unfounded practice in teaching reading. It encourages an over-reliance on pictures and guessing, hindering the development of decoding skills and overall reading proficiency, because it neglects the crucial sound-symbol relationship, a core literacy component supported by science of reading research.

As awareness of the science of reading grows among educators and policymakers, there's a nationwide shift toward evidence-based practices like Structured Literacy. Approaches rooted in the science of reading provide explicit and systematic instruction in all essential reading skills.

Help your district seamlessly transition away from outdated practices like three cueing with research-proven curriculum and professional learning based on the science of reading.

Your Science of Reading Solutions

Lexia® provides a breadth and depth of science of reading-based solutions that support every student and educator. With a comprehensive suite of professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment solutions, we help schools connect educator knowledge with practical classroom instruction to accelerate literacy gains.

Connecting teacher knowledge to proven instructional resources is key to accelerating learning.

Empowered Educators

Teaching reading requires a deep understanding of the processes and science behind it. For teachers, however, taking in all of what the science of reading holds can be overwhelming. Lexia makes it easier for teachers and administrators to understand and apply the core principles of the science of reading to transform literacy instruction.

The LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) Suite is professional learning rooted in the science of reading that empowers teachers to deliver effective reading instruction to meet every student's needs. It provides early childhood and elementary educators and administrators with deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading. With LETRS, teachers master the nuances of differentiated instruction, and develop the confidence they need to help all students accelerate their learning.

For educators of adolescent students, Lexia Aspire™ Professional Learning is a flexible, self-paced, digital solution that uses the science of reading to help weave literacy skills and strategies into instruction to support learners to read, comprehend, and articulate ideas across various subjects. It gives classroom educators, content-area educators, ELA educators, interventionists, dyslexia specialists, and speech pathologists just-in-time, application-based content and activities to meet specific student needs.
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Engaged Learners

Educational equity for all students cannot be achieved without a critical component, instructional equity. Structured Literacy is the application of that evidence into practical classroom instruction and informs best practices about how to best deliver it. Lexia's Structured Literacy solutions apply the science of reading into practical classroom instruction. They provide personalized instruction that ensures all students receive the support and resources they need to accelerate learning. All Lexia student programs deliver explicit, systematic, cumulative, diagnostic, and responsive instruction, principles proven to develop deep levels of comprehension all learners need to become proficient and confident readers. Lexia's evidence-based instructional solutions have been proven effective at scale in diverse school settings and meet the rigorous eligibility and accountability standards for ESSA. Additionally, they can be purchased with ESSER funding and other avenues of federal, state, and local funding programs that can meet and sustain your goals well after ESSER funds expire.

Webinars

Structured Literacy: Applying the Science of Reading in the Classroom

When it comes to reading, knowing the alphabet is just the beginning. For students to become confident readers, there are many skills they must master, such as the relationship between letters and sounds, syntax, the rules of conversation, and more.

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The Science of Reading | Resources & Solutions | Lexia

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Being built on The Science of Reading, we offer a full range of tools and solutions to help you achieve your literacy goals. Get started today.

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Click to Enlarge

There are so many pieces to the Science of Reading that it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few highlights about what the Science of Reading IS and what it IS NOT. This knowledge will help you on your journey to teaching all children, including those with diverse needs and cultural backgrounds, to read.

What it IS

A Collection of Research

Research, over time, from multiple fields of study using methods that confirm and disconfirm theories on how children best learn to read.

Teaching Based on the 5 Big Ideas

Phonemic Awareness - The ability to identify and play with individual sounds in spoken words.

Phonics - Reading instruction on understanding how letters and groups of letters link to sounds to form letter- sound relationships and spelling patterns.

- The ability to read words, phrases, sentences, and stories correctly, with enough speed, and expression.

Vocabulary - Knowing what words mean and how to say and use them correctly.

Comprehension - The ability to understand what you are reading.

Ever Evolving

There is new research and evidence all the time. As populations, communities, and approaches evolve, so should practice.

What it is NOT

A program, an intervention, or a product that you can buy.

The Science of Reading could be considered an approach to teaching reading that is based on decades of research and evidence. It is NOT a specific program.

Phonics-based programs that drill phonics skills.

Phonics is an integral part of teaching reading based on science, but it is just one of the five big ideas that should be taught so all children can learn to read.

Complete and no more study needs to be done.

As with any science, it is never complete. We can always know more. More study happens all the time and researchers, teachers, and families can work together to bring the best research into classrooms.

National Center on Improving Literacy (2022). The Science of Reading: The Basics. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Special Education Programs, National Center on Improving Literacy. Retrieved from http://improvingliteracy.org.

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If you prefer, read the text-version of the infographic. Click to Enlarge There are so many pieces to the Science of Reading that it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few highlights about what the Science of Reading IS and what it IS NOT.

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Get the basics on the science of reading (SOR), how to understand research studies, and what it means for classroom instruction.

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The Science of Reading: Defining Guide provides a firm definition of what the science of reading is, what it is not, and how all stakeholders can understand its potential to transform reading instruction.

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The science of reading has generated a lot of buzz recently and for good reason-the research model has proven to be an effective, evidence-based approach to successfully teaching reading. With more and more schools adopting this practice due to growing legislation enacted by states around the country, it's important to know the background of the science of reading and to learn how it can support classroom literacy practices to help students become better readers. That's why we're exploring this popular topic with an entire series of instructional videos and articles-"The Science of Reading Explained".

In this series, we'll discuss what the science of reading is, why it's important, dive into each of the pillars of reading, and highlight how Edmentum Exact Path aligns to the practice.

What is the science of reading?

The science of reading is a body of decades-long research that studies how we learn to read, as well as the instructional practices that best facilitate that process. In 1997, Congress gathered a group of reading experts called the National Reading Panel. The goal of this group was to determine which instructional approaches were the most effective. From this 480-page report came the baseline research for the science of reading, and it has been evolving ever since.

The science from the research includes the five pillars of reading-phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension-which are effective, evidence-based approaches to teaching reading. From this information, we know that a healthy dose of systematic, explicit phonics instruction helps build the foundation for successful reading and improved and more equitable outcomes across all subject areas. Throughout this series, we'll dive deeper into each of the pillars of reading.

Why is the science of reading generating buzz right now?

The pandemic disruptions affected reading proficiency growth for many learners with undeniable magnitude. State assessment scores from 2022 presented the need for tremendous learning recovery-with literacy being a huge piece of that. States across the country have embarked on an attempt to radically transform the teaching of reading to bring literacy instruction in line with the decades of research on how young children learn to read. In fact, studies have shown that explicit, systematic instruction in how letters represent sounds-phonics-is the most effective way to teach children how to read words. Schools are looking to move back to a more structured approach that supports this research, which is where the science of reading comes in.

To understand this topic more, view the instructional video below, which highlights why the science of reading is important and how Edmentum's Exact Path aligns to this research-backed approach. Additionally, it previews what's to come in this series.

To learn more about the Science of Reading, check out the rest of the series: Phonics, Phonological Awareness, Fluency, and Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

Explore Edmentum's ongoing commitment to the Science of Reading in our white paper, Exact Path: Designed with the Science of Reading.

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We introduce what the science of reading is and how it can support classroom literacy practices.

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources.

Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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Use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content with real, cited sources. Choose a grade level and language, and watch Diffit create complete, differentiated resources. ✅

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The leading AI platform for schools. Loved by over 2 million teachers saving time with AI to assist with lesson plans & more. Free for teachers.

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"To have any hope of kids investing fully in the subject matter, we have to start by evoking their curiosity and get them interested in the topic. Engaging the students can't wait. If we wait for the fun stuff that might pop up later, the kids will have already jumped ship."

Today we're all expected to be "teachers of reading"―no matter what our subject area. With Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading , Harvey "Smokey" Daniels and Nancy Steineke support content-area and language-arts teachers alike by pairing more than 75 short, kid-tested reproducible nonfiction texts with 33 simple, ready-to-go lessons that deepen comprehension and support effective collaboration.

In the same teacher-friendly, classroom-wise voices that made Subjects Matter and Content-Area Writing bestsellers, Daniels and Steineke prove that with the right materials and the right lessons, you can turn your kids into much better readers in your subject field by showing:

how proficient readers think

how skillful collaborators act

how to use quick and engaging activities that add to,
not steal from subject-matter learning.

Each real-world text was chosen for its subject-area relevance, its interest to teens, and for its "wow factor"―the texts most likely to engage kids in discussion and debate. Step-by-step lessons accompany each text, including:

23 Strategy Lessons that focus closely on at least one key comprehension strategy or collaboration skill that proficient learners use, and address the Common Core Standards for ELA

10 Text Set Lessons that directly align to commonly taught curricular topics and offer a deeper, longer engagement in the subjects and strategies at hand.

Watch what happens when you give your kids a combination of interesting texts, instruction in smart-reader strategies, and an explicit understanding of good discussion skills. Meeting the standards has never been so much fun.

Better Together!

Used together, Texts and Lessons for Teaching Literature and Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading give you all the lesson ideas you need for all text types. Save 15% when you buy them together in a Texts and Lessons Bundle .

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Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading: With More Than 75 Articles from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washingto n Post, Car and Driv

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Amazon.com: Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading: With More Than 75 Articles from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washingto n Post, Car and Driv: 9780325030876: Daniels, Harvey Smokey, Steineke, Nancy: Books

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Harvey "Smokey" Daniels has been a city and suburban classroom teacher and a college professor, and now works as a national consultant and author on literacy education. In language arts, Smokey is known for his pioneering work on student book clubs, as recounted in Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups , and Minilessons for Literature Circles . His latest bestselling books on content-area literacy are The Curious Classroom ; Comprehension & Collaboration , Second Edition; Upstanders ; Subjects Matter, Second Edition ; the Texts and Lessons series; and Content-Area Writing . He is also coauthor of Best Practice , Fourth Edition , and The Best Practice Video Companion as well as editor of Comprehension Going Forward .

Smokey works with elementary and secondary teachers throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, offering demonstration lessons, workshops, and consulting, with a special focus on creating, sustaining, and renewing student-centered inquiries and discussions of all kinds. Smokey shows colleagues how to simultaneously build students' reading strategies, balance their reading diets, and strengthen the social skills they need to become genuine lifelong readers.

READING Comprehension Going Forward Mini-lessons for Literature Circles Subjects Matter, Second Edition Texts and Lessons for Content-Area Reading Texts and Lessons for Teaching Literature

LITERACY , Second Edition The Curious Classroom Comprehension & Collaboration
Inquiry Circles for Elementary Classrooms Inquiry Circles for Secondary Classrooms

SCHOOL CULTURE Best Practice, Fourth Edition Best Practice Video Companion Rethinking High School Rethinking High School Video Upstanders

Nancy Steineke consults nationally as a keynote speaker, workshop presenter, and literacy coach for K-12 teachers. She specializes in content-area literacy, nonfiction writing, purposeful close reading, literature circles, and student engagement. Nancy keeps the focus on manageable teaching strategies that best benefit students.

A published author and accomplished teacher, Nancy has been featured in classroom videos for Best Practice and Comprehension and Collaboration . Her groundbreaking work with book clubs and student led discussion groups is captured in her books Assessment Live! and Reading and Writing Together . A frequent collaborator with Harvey "Smokey" Daniels, they have co-authored Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles ; Texts and Lessons for Content Area Reading ; and Texts and Lessons for Literature .

Nancy presents annually at the National Council of Teachers of English, International Reading Association, and various state conferences. She is also an Illinois Writing Project leader. Along with Harvey Daniels, Nancy has organized and led over 50 multi-day residential institutes for teachers in locations around the United States.

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Texts and Lessons for Teaching Literature: with 65 fresh mentor texts from Dave Eggers, Nikki Giovanni, Pat Conroy, Jesus C olon, Tim O'Brien, J

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Amazon.com: Texts and Lessons for Teaching Literature: with 65 fresh mentor texts from Dave Eggers, Nikki Giovanni, Pat Conroy, Jesus C olon, Tim O'Brien, J: 9780325044354: Daniels, Harvey Smokey, Steineke, Nancy: Books

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In this companion to their bestselling first book, David and Meredith Liben move beyond foundational skills to explore how the mind comprehends texts. They translate research in clear terms to help teachers understand what students truly need to read deeply for pleasure and with purpose. Focusing on vocabulary, knowledge building, and language structures, they provide cutting-edge instructional ideas and ready-to-use tools to help teachers put their understanding into action immediately.

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Know Better, Do Better: Comprehension: Fueling the Reading Brain With Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Rich Language

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In this companion to their bestselling first book, David and Meredith Liben move beyond foundational skills to explore how the mind comprehends texts. They translate research in clear terms to help teachers understand what students truly need to read deeply for pleasure and with purpose. Focusing...

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The Libens have spent decades working to transform reading instruction; first as teachers, then researchers and school leaders, most recently in supporting the quality of instructional materials. They've been on the forefront of the reading wars since 1994, when their school's first cohort of students failed the NYC end of year reading assessment. The Libens were faced with the question, how could a school with plenty of resources and tons of support for social and emotional learning fail so spectacularly at teaching children how to read? know better,

The answers that allowed us to rise from the bottom performing school are collected here in this book. The Libens have poured through the research, pedagogical movements, and deeply entrenched classroom myths to find the literacy practices and instructional materials that actually improve student learning outcomes. Through their work, their school had its reading scores rise to the highest of any non-gifted school in Harlem. When educators they can do better.

This book is written for anyone starting their own journey to learn about the research that undergirds foundational reading and discover practical ways to make sure your students learn to read.

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Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read

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Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read [Liben, Meredith and David] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations So Every Child Can Read