Literacy Leadership Communication Tool by Monica Stephenson

What is Phonemic Awareness?

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 21:55:30 UTC

The ability to hear, identify, manipulate, and substitute phonemes—the smallest units of sound that can differentiate meaning—in spoken words.

What is Phonics?

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 21:56:08 UTC

The ability to understand that there is a predictable relationship between phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (the letters that represent those sounds in written language) in order to associate written letters with the sounds of spoken language.

What is Fluency?

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 21:56:45 UTC

The ability to read text accurately, quickly, and expressively, either to oneself or aloud.

What is Vocabulary?

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 21:57:18 UTC

The ability to read text accurately, quickly, and expressively, either to oneself or aloud.

What is Comprehension?

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 21:57:44 UTC

The ability to understand, remember, and make meaning of what has been read—this is the purpose for reading.

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:08:59 UTC

This report, authored by Louisa Moats, translates the latest research on the importance of applying the Science of Reading into clear, accessible language for educators.

Phonics in Depth

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:15:43 UTC

Overview of phonics-What is it and why is it important?

Black English Matters

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:22:24 UTC

People who criticize African American Vernacular English don’t see that it shares grammatical structures with more “prestigious” languages.

What is Translanguaging and How is it Used in the Classroom?

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:25:19 UTC

Guidance for Writing

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:29:36 UTC

This book is awesome! Provides strategies and activities to teach your students how to write.

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:33:07 UTC

This book is a must have if you teach multilingual students. An evidence-based guide to providing English learners in Pre-K–Grade 6 with explicit, systematic instruction on language and literacy fundamentals.

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:36:04 UTC

Transitioning from Word Walls to Sound Walls

contact5343 — 2025-04-05 22:38:45 UTC

Textbook for Explicit, High-Quality Instruction

contact5343 — 2025-04-06 00:36:51 UTC

This is a must have book for teaching students using the Science of Reading.

Book-Ready to Use Lessons

contact5343 — 2025-04-06 00:39:51 UTC

Read Aloud for Children

contact5343 — 2025-04-06 00:44:10 UTC

I use this book at the beginning of an intervention cycle to explain to students how the brain learns to read. The book is presented in an easy to understand way.

What is Dyslexia?

contact5343 — 2025-04-06 00:48:42 UTC

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that primarily affects reading and spelling abilities. People with dyslexia often have difficulty recognizing words, decoding them, and understanding written text, despite having normal intelligence and access to proper teaching.

Dyslexia in the Classroom Handbook

contact5343 — 2025-04-06 00:50:31 UTC

How to Articulate the 44 Phonemes

contact5343 — 2025-04-06 00:53:38 UTC

This is a great video that demonstrates how to accurately articulate the 44 phonemes.

Research Based Writing Strategies

contact5343 — 2025-05-13 15:25:11 UTC

This book is a practical guide that translates research into actionable, teacher-friendly strategies for teaching writing across grades K–12. The book is accessible and offers clear, step-by-step instructions, making it ideal for educators seeking to enhance their writing instruction. It includes a variety of classroom-tested strategies, such as goal-setting, brainstorming, and peer revising, along with before-and-after student examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of these approaches. This resource is invaluable for teachers aiming to support struggling writers and improve writing outcomes in their classrooms.

General Reading Support

contact5343 — 2025-05-16 16:46:16 UTC

Reading Rockets
Website: readingrockets.org
Offers reading strategies, tips, videos, and booklists for parents of children from preschool through grade 3.
PBS Parents – Reading Milestones
Website: pbs.org/parents
Provides literacy activities based on age and development, with fun reading games and book suggestions.
Scholastic Parents – Reading Help
Website: scholastic.com/parents
Book recommendations, printable activities, and expert advice to boost reading at home.

Early Literacy (PreK-Grade 1)

contact5343 — 2025-05-16 16:47:51 UTC

Starfall
Website: starfall.com
Interactive phonics-based games and read-along stories ideal for younger children.

The Measured Mom – Free Printables & Activities
Website: themeasuredmom.com
Offers evidence-based phonics games, alphabet activities, and beginner reader printables.

Reading Bear
Website: readingbear.org
A free online program teaching beginning readers vocabulary and phonics using multimedia presentations.

Fluency & Comprehension (Grades 2-5)

contact5343 — 2025-05-16 16:50:11 UTC

Storyline Online
Website: storylineonline.net
Celebrities read children's books aloud with visuals — supports listening comprehension and engagement.
CommonLit (Grades 3–12)
Website: commonlit.org
Free reading passages with comprehension questions; includes parent guidance and Spanish texts.
Into the Book
Website: reading.ecb.org
Designed for children to practice comprehension strategies like predicting, visualizing, and summarizing.

Structured Literacy & Phonics Support

contact5343 — 2025-05-16 16:51:51 UTC

UFLI Foundations (University of Florida Literacy Institute)
Website: ufli.education.ufl.edu
Research-based phonics resources and videos for parents to help with decoding and structured literacy.
SightWords.com
Website: sightwords.com
Free games, flashcards, and practice worksheets for Dolch and Fry word lists.

Apps & Tools

contact5343 — 2025-05-16 16:53:46 UTC

Epic! (Ages 2–12)
App & website: getepic.com
Digital library with thousands of books. Free for teachers; parents can get a limited free version or subscribe.
Homer Reading
Website: learnwithhomer.com
Personalized learn-to-read program based on phonics and children’s interests (subscription required).
Teach Your Monster to Read
Website: teachyourmonstertoread.com
Free (web) or paid (app) phonics-based game for early readers, engaging and educational.

Collaborative Mentor Text Library

contact5343 — 2025-05-19 00:03:22 UTC

This is a collection of mentor text that teachers can use with their students to model writing skills such as grammar, informational, argumentative, and persuasive writing.

Please provide feedback

contact5343 — 2025-05-19 00:41:53 UTC

Please use this link to provide feedback for this Literacy Leadership Communication Tool. There are only five questions and should only take 1-2 minutes. Thank you so much for your feedback!

Teaching Reading to Children Who Speak African American English-AAE

contact5343 — 2025-06-09 01:15:40 UTC

Understanding linguistic variation, especially African American English (AAE), has deepened my approach to teaching reading. Dr. Washington's video reinforced the importance of helping students extend their oral language skills to reading and writing—while affirming and respecting the language they bring from home. As an African American educator who grew up in a predominantly white environment, I wasn't always affirmed in my own dialect and was often encouraged to code-switch to be seen as educated.

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Classroom Checklist

contact5343 — 2025-06-22 15:40:33 UTC

The purpose of this culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) checklist is to help educators intentionally evaluate and improve their classroom practices, materials, and environments to ensure they are inclusive, equitable, and supportive of all students, especially those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Culturally Responsive Classroom Library Checklist

contact5343 — 2025-06-22 18:41:25 UTC

Does your classroom library represent the communities that your students come from? Use this quick checklist to inventory your library.

Story Weaver-Online Books

contact5343 — 2025-06-22 19:53:40 UTC

StoryWeaver.org is a free digital platform. It offers thousands of multilingual children's books that are FREE. Teachers can translate, create, and adapt books. Students can read books where they see their culture, language, and experiences represented. Parents can download books in their home language and read books with their children at home.

Lee and Low-Online Multicultural Children's Books

contact5343 — 2025-06-23 01:14:10 UTC

Lee & Low Books (leeandlow.com) is a family-run, independent, 100% minority-owned publisher founded in 1991 with a clear mission—to “publish beautiful books about everyone, for everyone.” It has grown to become the largest and most trusted multicultural children’s book publisher in the United States.

Lee & Low Books is an essential resource for educators seeking high-quality, multicultural literature. Its diverse catalog, strong focus on equity, and extensive teaching tools make it invaluable for building inclusive and empowering classroom libraries.

Activity to Get to Know Your Multilingual Students

contact5343 — 2025-06-30 02:18:21 UTC

The purpose of this activity is to connect and support multilingual learners' assets.

Book: 99 Activities for Teaching Multilingual Learners

contact5343 — 2025-06-30 02:29:36 UTC

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model is a highly effective approach for teaching multilingual learners. This second edition offers brand-new, classroom-ready strategies to build vocabulary, deliver engaging lessons, and make academic content more accessible for English learners.

A Bilingual Website-www.colorincolorado.org

contact5343 — 2025-06-30 02:38:03 UTC

A bilingual website for educators and families of English language learners. Simply search “SIOP” to find a wealth of articles, strategies, and helpful resources.