Phonics skills are foundational to reading fluently and with comprehension. It's essential for reading teachers to determine which students need phonics support and what that support should look like. Read Naturally is here to support your students’ phonics needs every step of the way—from assessment, to intervention, to ongoing skill maintenance.
Read more The renewed enthusiasm over the past few years for phonics instruction has been heartening. I have believed in, and therefore taught, phonics skills since the beginning of my teaching career in 1970. (In fact, I am the proud owner of a well-worn 1967 edition of A Guide to Teaching Phonics, by June Orton.) Phonemic awareness and basic phonics skills are essential foundations on which students build toward the ultimate goal of reading: comprehension. So, through the phonics wars and beyond I continued to teach phonics to my students (and I still do today).
Read more One of the criteria for passing a Read Naturally story is that students need to answer all the comprehension questions correctly. When teachers learn of this requirement, they tend to have a few questions. Here are the most frequently asked questions about our comprehension requirement, along with answers from our curriculum experts.
Read more As promised, we are back with another round of new, free resources! If you missed the first post, click here for blank graphs, story labels, a weekly story tracker, and a difficult word list. Keep reading for new student surveys, stickers, labels for Word Warm-ups Live Level 3, and story...
Read more As you know, students will make optimal reading progress when they work in material at the appropriate level. The problem is that the definition of “appropriate level” changes depending on the context. When should you give students material at their independent level? How about their instructional level? What is the difference between the two? And is it ever appropriate to let them work at their frustration level? If you’ve ever found yourself asking these questions—or if you find yourself needing to explain these concepts to parents—you’ve come to the right place! We’re here to break it down for you.
Read more As you know, students will make optimal reading progress when they work in material at the appropriate level. The problem is that the definition of “appropriate level” changes depending on the context. When should you give students material at their independent level? How about their...
Read more We hope that you and your students will enjoy these new printables: updated labels, a weekly story tracker, a difficult word list, and blank graphs for Read Naturally Live.
Read more The two most important factors in a successful read-aloud are a great book selection and a great delivery. When these two factors are present, it feels like magic. The room becomes still. All eyes are on the reader. The crowd collectively furrows at the worrisome parts of the story and roars with laughter at the funny parts. When good stories are read aloud, they can instantly lift up, teach, and unite diverse groups of people. Few things in life are so simple, yet so powerful.
Read more We're pleased to announce a brand new, FREE tool on our website to make the checking initial placement process easier than ever.
Read more Are you looking for ways to enhance your skills as a Read Naturally educator? Will the holiday break finally give you a few extra minutes to focus on this? Allow our stellar training team to help! We've recently conducted several webinars aimed to help educators work as effectively as possible with their students. Because educators are often too busy to attend our webinars in real time, we offer recordings you can view at your convenience. These recordings are available to you for free--and the holiday break is the perfect time to check them out.
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