Topic: Beginning Reading

Language difficulties and internalizing problems, such as anxiety and depression, often co-occur in children, but it is not known why. This study looked at data from Norwegian siblings aged 5 to 8 years old and found that this co-occurrence is mainly due to family factors (e.g., genetics, shared environment).

Mother reading with child

This toolkit helps teachers and families understand what the alphabetic principle and phonics are and how to support a child's development of these important reading skills.

Participar en experiencias de alfabetización en el hogar puede desarrollar la capacidad de lectura, la comprensión y las habilidades lingüísticas de su hijo. Las actividades en las que puede participar en casa incluyen: lectura conjunta, dibujo, canto, narración de cuentos, recitación, juegos y rimas. Puede adaptar las actividades a la edad y el nivel de habilidad de su hijo, y puede incorporar la tecnología en sus oportunidades de aprendizaje.

Aprender sobre el desarrollo de lectura del niño

Aprender a leer es difícil y no sucede naturalmente. Requiere instrucción explícita y sistemática, lo cual es especialmente importante para los lectores con dificultades. Aprender a leer implica muchas habilidades diferentes que deben enseñarse a su hijo. La instrucción en conciencia fonológica, fonética, fluidez, vocabulario y comprensión ayudará a su hijo a aprender a leer.

Coaching Steps for Families

You can coach your child’s literacy learning at home. This means interacting with and guiding your child so he or she grows and succeeds.

In this study, second and third Grade students who scored at or below the 10th percentile on a fall reading screener received a targeted Tier 2 reading intervention. The findings underscore the importance of small group reading interventions, including for students with the lowest reading skills.

In this recorded webinar, Dr. Elizabeth Grinder joins NCIL for a discussion about Interactive Literacy Activities for young children.

Fluency is the ability to read words, phrases, sentences, and stories accurately, with enough speed, and expression. It is important to remember that fluency is not an end in itself but a critical gateway to comprehension.

Kids reading around a tress

This toolkit helps teachers and families understand what fluency is and how to support a child’s development of fluency with text.

IES Foundational Skills Recommendation Series

Jeanne Wanzek, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University and Carol Dissen, Expert Literacy Coach at the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon, present on Recommendation 1 from the Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade: Practice Guide (WWC)

IES Foundational Skills Recommendation Series

Jeanne Wanzek, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University and Carol Dissen, Expert Literacy Coach at the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon, present on Recommendation 2: Develop awareness of the segments of sounds in speech and how they link to letters, from the Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade: Practice Guide (WWC).

IES Foundational Skills Recommendation Series

Jeanne Wanzek, Ph.D., Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University and Carol Dissen, Expert Literacy Coach at the Center on Teaching and Learning at the University of Oregon, present on Recommendation 1 from the Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade: Practice Guide (WWC)

Repeated readings, goal setting, corrective feedback, and graphing performance can help build Fluency with Text.

How We Learn to Read: The Critical Role of Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness involves being able to recognize and manipulate the sounds within words. This skill is a foundation for understanding the alphabetic principle and reading success. There are several ways to effectively teach phonological awareness to prepare early readers, including: 1) teaching students to recognize and manipulate the sounds of speech, 2) teaching students letter-sound relations, and 3) teaching students to manipulate letter-sounds in print using word-building activities.

Two kids at classroom desks

This toolkit provides information on how instruction can be intensified when students who are receiving intervention are not making desired growth in reading. Use of assessments in the intensification process is described, and the “what” and “how” of instructional intensification is presented along a set of lessons and teaching materials.

Ayude a su hijo a practicar habilidades lingüísticas y comprender ideas durante la vida cotidiana.

Ayude a su hijo a practicar habilidades de alfabetización temprana y comprender ideas durante la vida cotidiana.

Ayude a su hijo a practicar los sonidos del habla y las letras durante la vida cotidiana.

Hacer preguntas puede ayudar a su hijo a comprender lo que lee.

Ayudar a su hijo con los sonidos del habla apoya el éxito temprano en la lectura.

Cuatro consejos para usar al leer con su hijo.

Ayudar a su hijo a separarse y conectar sonidos para pronunciar palabras apoya el éxito temprano en la lectura.

La ruta a la lectura: Repare según sea necesario

Las dificultades se pueden detectar temprano, haga estas preguntas si tiene inquietudes sobre el progreso de su hijo en la escuela.

Preguntas para hacer sobre las evaluaciones y la instrucción de su hijo en la escuela.

La ruta a la lectura: Trace un plan

Preguntas para hacer sobre las habilidades de lectura de su hijo.

Preguntas para hacer sobre la instrucción de lectura de su hijo en la escuela.

Mother reading with child

In this tutorial, you will learn evidence-based information about your child’s reading development from preschool through adolescence, all in an interactive online experience.

Mother and Child reading book

This toolkit helps parents and families understand the many different skills involved with teaching your child to learn to read and how to support your child's reading development at school and home.

Learning About Your Child’s Reading Development

Learning to read is difficult and does not happen naturally. It requires explicit and systematic instruction, which is especially important for struggling readers. Learning to read involves many different skills that must be taught to your child. Instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension will help your child learn to read.

Learning to Read: “The Simple View of Reading”

Learning to read consists of developing skills in two areas: accurate, fluent reading and comprehending the meaning of texts. Learning these skills does not come naturally. Both accurate word reading and text comprehension require careful, systematic instruction.

Literacy Skill Checklist Logo

This tool provides personalized resources aligned with reading, writing and language skills for beginning readers.

La enseñanza eficaz de la lectura incorpora cinco componentes: conciencia fonémica, fonética, fluidez, vocabulario y comprensión de la lectura. Estos cinco componentes de la lectura están relacionados entre sí. La conciencia fonémica, la fonética, la fluidez y el vocabulario contribuyen a la comprensión de la lectura, lo cual es el objetivo de la lectura.

NCIL Intensification Framework

This brief and infographic detail the intensification process and describe what and how to teach students who struggle with reading including what to teach and how to teach.

Pasos de guía para las familias

Puede entrenar el aprendizaje de alfabetización de su hijo en casa. Esto significa interactuar con su hijo y guiarlo para que crezca y tenga éxito.

Teacher and Class

This toolkit helps teachers and families understand the difference between phonemic and phonological awareness and how to support a child's development of these important reading skills.

Phonological awareness is like an umbrella. Rhyming, alliteration, sentence segmentation, syllables, onset and rime, and phonemic awareness all exist under this umbrella with phonemic awareness being the most advanced skill of phonological awareness.

Resumen sobre cómo mejorar la alfabetización

Aprender a leer consiste en desarrollar habilidades en dos ámbitos: la lectura precisa y fluida, y la comprensión del significado de los textos. El aprendizaje de estas destrezas no se produce de forma natural. Tanto la lectura precisa de palabras como la comprensión de textos requieren una enseñanza cuidadosa y sistemática.

Four tips to use when reading with your child.

Route to Reading: Check for Potholes

Questions to ask about your child's reading instruction at school.

Route to Reading: Do Regular Performance Checks

Questions to ask about your child's assessments and instruction at school.

Helping your child with speech sounds supports early reading success.

Asking questions can help your child understand what she reads.

Helping your child stretch apart and connect sounds to sound out words supports early reading success.

Route to Reading: Map It Out

Questions to ask about your child's reading skills.

Route to Reading: Repair as Needed

Difficulties can be spotted early, ask these questions if you have concerns about your child's progress at school.

Help your child practice early literacy skills and understand ideas during everyday life.

Route to Reading: Tune-up in the Community

Help your child practice speech sounds and letters during everyday life.

Help your child practice language skills and understand ideas during everyday life.

Succeeding in School: Essential Features of Literacy Development

Reading skills provide the foundation for academic success. From the beginning of school, students should be taught different ways of using language to help them learn and communicate about academic content. This brief discusses two areas of literacy development that students must learn so that they can do well in school: foundational reading skills and academic language.

Kids Reading a Book

This toolkit, developed in collaboration with the Idaho State Department of Education, helps parents and families use everyday time together as an opportunity for learning and building reading skills.

Despite the disparities in education, research has demonstrated that all students, regardless of racial, ethnic, economic, or learning differences, can meet grade-level expectations for reading achievement with systematic and explicit instruction.

Family Reading

This toolkit helps parents and families take part in literacy experiences at home to develop children’s reading and language skills.

Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development at Home

Taking part in literacy experiences at home can develop your child’s reading ability, comprehension, and language skills.  Activities that you can engage in at home include: joint reading, drawing, singing, storytelling, reciting, game playing, and rhyming.  You can tailor activities to your child’s age and ability level, and can incorporate technology into your learning opportunities.

The 5 Big Ideas of Beginning Reading

Effective reading instruction incorporates five components including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. These five components of reading are all linked. Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and vocabulary all build up to reading comprehension, which is the goal of reading. 

The Alphabetic Principle: From Phonological Awareness to Reading Words Inforgraphic

The alphabetic principle is a critical skill that involves connecting letters with their sounds to read and write. Learning and applying the alphabetic principle takes time and is difficult for most children. Explicit phonics instruction and extensive practice are important when teaching children to learn the alphabetic principle.

This study examined fourth-grade struggling readers and found that word reading performance recorded at pretest predicted these readers’ responses to intervention when it was administered. Students with the most substantial word reading problems may require more intensive and individualized treatments.

This Educator’s Toolbox, developed in Partnership with The Reading League Journal, describes some best practices that educators can use in their classrooms to help ELs acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically.

The Educator’s Science of Reading Toolbox: Explicit Vocabulary Instruction to Build Equitable Access for All Learners

This Educator’s Toolbox, developed in Partnership with The Reading League Journal, provides practical ways to incorporate explicit vocabulary instruction within your classroom to ensure your vocabulary lessons are accessible to all learners

The Educator’s Science of Reading Toolbox: How to Build Fluency with Text in Your Classroom

This Educator’s Toolbox, developed in Partnership with The Reading League Journal, provides practical ways to incorporate fluency instruction within your classroom.

The Educator’s Science of Reading Toolbox: How to Use Systematic Phonics Instruction in Your Classroom

This Educator’s Toolbox, developed in Partnership with The Reading League Journal, provides practical ways to incorporate instruction in systematic phonics instruction within your classroom.

This Educator’s Toolbox, developed in Partnership with The Reading League Journal, uses an infographic to explain the critical role that phonological awareness plays in learning to read. You will learn what phonological awareness is, how to effectively teach phonological awareness to prepare early readers, and how this and other NCIL infographics can be used to promote awareness and understanding of evidence-based literacy practices.

Vocabulary is knowing what words mean and how to say and use them correctly. This brief explains the four types of vocabulary, why vocabulary is important, and what vocabulary instruction should look like.

Spotlight on South Carolina Series

Sally Baker from the Family Connection of South Carolina discusses how FCSC designed trainings using NCIL’s Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development tutorial and facilitator’s guide and who the trainings reached.

Spotlight on South Carolina Series

Sally Baker from the Family Connection of South Carolina discusses what FCSC learned as a result of training parents and professionals using NCIL’s Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development tutorial and facilitator’s guide.

Spotlight on South Carolina Series

Sally Baker from the Family Connection of South Carolina discusses what happened when FCSC trained parents using NCIL’s Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development tutorial and facilitator’s guide.

Spotlight on South Carolina Series

Sally Baker from the Family Connection of South Carolina discusses what happened when FCSC trained professionals using NCIL’s Supporting Your Child’s Literacy Development tutorial and facilitator’s guide.

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