2. Diverse Historical Perspectives
Teach history and social studies using multiple viewpoints, not just dominant narratives.
Example: When learning about westward expansion, include Native American perspectives and experiences.

3. Real-World Case Studies
Use culturally diverse scenarios in problem-solving activities.
Example: Math word problems based on different family businesses, cultural events, or global settings.

4. Representation in Visuals and Materials
Ensure posters, slides, and examples show people of different races, abilities, religions, and family types.
Application: Audit your classroom materials and replace or add visuals that reflect your students.

Flexible Communication Supports
Use visuals, AAC devices, gestures, modeling, and simplified language to support students with diverse communication needs. This ensures all students can access instruction and express themselves.

Differentiated Instruction
Adjust pacing, grouping, materials, and teaching strategies to meet diverse learning styles and cultural backgrounds. Small groups, hands-on activities, and movement-based learning are effective ways to support varied needs.

Culturally Relevant Examples
Connect lessons to students’ lives, traditions, and experiences. Using familiar foods, routines, and community experiences helps students feel valued and increases engagement.

Community Norms Rooted in Respect and Dignity
Establish simple, clear expectations that emphasize kindness, respect, and belonging. Reinforce that everyone matters and deserves to be treated with care and dignity.

Identity-Affirming Language Practices
Use students’ preferred names, pronounce names correctly, and model respectful language. Encourage curiosity and acceptance rather than assumptions or stereotypes.

Celebration of Differences
Acknowledge and respect cultural traditions, holidays, and family practices in meaningful ways. This can be done through discussions, read-alouds, or classroom activities without singling students out.

Cultural Sharing Opportunities
Provide optional opportunities for families to share traditions, stories, music, or experiences. This promotes understanding and strengthens school–home connections.

Community-Based Learning
Connect learning to the local community through field trips, guest speakers, or virtual visits. This helps students see the relevance of their learning and builds community awareness.

Parent Workshops and Resources
Offer family workshops and share resources that support learning at home. Provide information in accessible formats and, when possible, in families’ home languages.

Concepts of print are the understandings that print carries meaning and

follows consistent rules. This includes book handling (front/back, title),

directionality (left-to-right, top-to-bottom), word awareness (spaces separate

words), and basic print conventions (punctuation, return sweep).

Milestones (mastery looks

like)

• Holds a book right-side up; identifies front/back and title

• Tracks print left-to-right and top-to-bottom with a finger; returns sweep

• Understands that print (not pictures) carries the exact words read aloud

• Points to one word for each spoken word during shared reading (concept of

word)

• Identifies basic punctuation (period, question mark) and knows it changes

how we read

Typical age/grade range PreK (ages 4-5) through Grade 1 (ages 6-7); gaps can persist into upper

grades for some students with limited print exposure.

Evidence-based

assessment (2-3)

• Concepts About Print (CAP) / Observation Survey tasks: 1:1 book-based

checklist. Use baseline score, then reassess every 6-8 weeks to see growth in

specific conventions (directionality, concept of word, punctuation).

• Teacher observation during shared reading: Use a simple rubric: tracks

print, points to words, uses return sweep, identifies title/author. Collect quick

notes weekly to document progress and plan next mini-lessons.

• Running record notes (print behaviors): While taking a running record,

note print behaviors (skips words, loses place, reverses direction). Track

patterns across texts to confirm if errors are print-concept based versus

decoding.

Evidence-based instruction

(teach one part)

Focus concept: directionality and concept of word.

Use a daily 5-minute shared reading routine with a short predictable text.

Model tracking with a pointer, then do “my turn/your turn”: teacher tracks and

reads one line, students track the next. Add a quick “word hunt” where

students tap each word as you read it aloud, then match 2-3 printed words to

spoken words (e.g., 'find the'). Keep language explicit: 'We start here. We

move this way. One spoken word matches one printed word.'

Differentiation (support

ELs and/or dyslexia)

• ELs: Pre-teach key book words (title, author, page) with visuals; allow

responses by pointing/gestures; pair oral rehearsal in the home language

when possible, then map to English print.

• Dyslexia: Use a larger font, increased spacing, and a tracking tool (index

card window or ruler) to reduce visual crowding; keep text short and repeated

across days.

• Motivation: Let students choose from 2-3 high-interest predictable books;

include quick movement cues (sweep arms left-to-right) before reading

(mastery looks like) • Identifies and produces rhymes (cat/hat) • Claps or counts syllables in words; blends syllables (pan-cake) • Identifies first/last sounds in simple words • Blends and segments onset-rime (c-at -> cat) • Blends and segments phonemes in 2-4 sound words with increasing accuracy Typical age/grade range Ages 3-6 (PreK-K) for rhyme/syllables; K-Grade 1 for phoneme blending/segmenting; older students may need intensive phonological intervention. Evidence-based assessment (2-3) • CTOPP-2 (phonological awareness subtests): Norm-referenced tasks (e.g., blending, elision). Use standard scores to identify weakness and retest per manual timing (often 6-12 months) to document growth alongside classroom progress monitoring. • Heggerty-style brief probes (teacher-made, scripted): Weekly 1-2 minute probes (e.g., 10 items: syllable segmenting, phoneme blending). Graph % correct to monitor response to instruction and adjust the skill level. • DIBELS 8: Phonemic Segmentation Fluency (PSF) / First Sound Fluency (FSF): Timed progress monitoring (K-1). Use scores over time (trend line) to decide if the student is on track or needs intensified, more explicit instruction. Evidence-based instruction (teach one part) Focus concept: phoneme segmentation (3-phoneme CVC words). Teach with an Elkonin box routine. Say a word (e.g., map), stretch it, and have students push 1 counter into each box as they say each sound: /m/ /a/ /p/. Then sweep a finger under the boxes and blend back to the whole word. Start with continuous sounds (m, s, f) for easier stretching, and provide immediate corrective feedback: 'Let’s say it slowly. What’s the first sound?' Differentiation (support ELs and/or dyslexia) • ELs: Teach the word meaning first with a picture/gesture, then do the sound work; highlight sounds that do not exist in the student’s home language with extra modeling and mouth visuals. • Dyslexia: Increase practice frequency and keep the sequence explicit (I do, we do, you do). Use multisensory supports (tap arm for each sound, counters) and cumulative review. • Engagement: Turn segmentation into a quick game (sound boxes with mini erasers) and keep sessions short (3-5 minutes) multiple times per day.

the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken

words. It directly supports decoding and spelling.

Milestones (mastery looks

like)

• Isolates beginning, medial vowel, and ending phonemes in spoken words

• Blends phonemes to make a word (/s/ /u/ /n/ -> sun)

• Segments words into phonemes and counts them accurately

• Manipulates phonemes (add, delete, substitute) to make new words (cat ->

cap; smile -> mile)

• Uses phoneme awareness to support spelling of simple words

Typical age/grade range Typically develops strongly in Kindergarten through Grade 1 with explicit

instruction; older struggling readers may need targeted, intensive practice.

Evidence-based

assessment (2-3)

• PAST (Phonological Awareness Screening Test) or similar

scope-and-sequence screener: Pinpoints the highest level of phoneme

manipulation a student can do. Use as a diagnostic starting point and to set

short-term goals; recheck every 4-6 weeks.

• DIBELS 8: PSF (K-1) and/or NWF (links PA to decoding): Use PSF to

monitor segmentation; use NWF to see if phoneme skills are transferring to

decoding. Growth in both indicates instruction is working.

• CTOPP-2 (advanced manipulation like elision): Use to confirm significant

phonemic awareness deficits when students do not respond to Tier 2

supports; helps justify more intensive intervention.

Evidence-based instruction

(teach one part)

Focus concept: phoneme manipulation (phoneme substitution).

Teach with a 'say it, change it' routine. Start with a word, segment it orally,

then prompt a single change: 'Say cat. Now change /k/ to /h/. What word?'

Use continuous sounds first and keep the manipulation to one step. If

students struggle, return to segmentation with counters, then try the change

again. Connect to print after mastery: map the sounds to letters in a simple

word chain.

Differentiation (support

ELs and/or dyslexia)

• ELs: Use high-frequency, picture-supported words to reduce vocabulary

load; allow extra processing time and oral rehearsal; contrast minimal pairs

only after meaning is clear.

• Dyslexia: Provide many repetitions and cumulative review; avoid adding

print too early. When adding print, keep grapheme-phoneme

correspondences consistent and explicitly taught.

• Behavior/attention: Use quick turn-taking (teacher, partner, individual) and

high success rates (start easy) to keep students engaged.

like)

• Recognizes and names many uppercase letters, then lowercase letters

• Distinguishes visually similar letters (b/d, p/q) and common confusions

• Names letters in and out of order (not just ABC song order)

• Links letters to their most common sounds (transition to alphabetic principle)

• Names letters automatically within a timed task (fluency/automaticity)

Typical age/grade range Most students develop strong letter naming in PreK-K and solidify by mid-K to

Grade 1; some students require continued support through Grade 2+.

Evidence-based

assessment (2-3)

• DIBELS 8: Letter Naming Fluency (LNF): 1-minute timed measure (K-fall

to Grade 1). Progress monitor every 2-4 weeks to see if automaticity is

improving with instruction.

• PALS (alphabet knowledge tasks) / similar screening: Identifies

letter-name and letter-sound gaps. Use subtest scores to target specific

letters/sounds and reassess per district window or every 6-8 weeks for

growth.

• Quick letter ID inventory (teacher-made): Show a randomized grid of

letters and record known/unknown and confusions. Use weekly to track

mastery of the current set and to guide review sets.

Evidence-based instruction

(teach one part)

Focus concept: rapid recognition of confusing letter pairs (b/d, p/q).

Teach 2-3 letters at a time using a consistent routine: name, formation cue,

key picture, and quick discrimination practice. Example for b/d: 'b has the bat

first' (vertical line then belly). Have students sky-write, trace, then do a

60-second 'find and circle' on a mixed-letter page. End with a short retrieval

practice: flash 10 mixed cards and students say the letter name. Keep

practice brisk and accurate.

Differentiation (support

ELs and/or dyslexia)

• ELs: Teach letter names with visuals and mouth cues for the paired letter

sounds; connect to students’ names and classroom labels; allow choral

response before individual turns.

• Dyslexia: Explicitly teach common confusions with multi-sensory cues,

consistent handwriting strokes, and extra spaced practice; use a reduced set

and cumulative review (new 2-3, review 6-8).

• Motivation: Use quick games (letter bingo, scavenger hunt, magnetic letters)

and frequent success checks; celebrate growth in accuracy and speed.

167-188.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel:

Teaching children to read (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). U.S. Government Printing Office.

Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence,

theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 97-110).

Guilford Press.

Wagner, R. K., Torgesen, J. K., Rashotte, C. A., & Pearson, N. A. (2013). Comprehensive Test of Phonological

Processing (2nd ed.). PRO-ED.

University of Oregon. (2020). DIBELS 8th Edition technical manual. Center on Teaching and Learning, University

of Oregon.