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Read Naturally GATE+ aligns with all of the IES recommendations for teaching foundational reading skills in the early grades. Read more

When it comes to teaching children to read, the importance of a quality phonics program cannot be overstated. With so many options available, it can be challenging to determine which program will best suit the needs of your students. Read more

It's now well past February, but the remnants of Valentine's Day still linger in my couch cushions. The handmade cards are always my favorite ones to find… especially the ones wishing a "Happy Valantine's Day." I asked my first grader if he knew what makes the word Valentine so hard to spell. He guessed, "Because it's a long word," which is half right. Long words are usually multisyllabic, and multisyllabic words usually have a schwa. The schwa sound—such as the one on the first "e" in Valentine—is notorious for making words difficult to read and spell. Read more

Recently, a teacher who had ordered a level of GATE+ received her materials and looked through them. She was so impressed with the quality and depth of the materials that she showed her colleagues. They quickly realized they wanted the program for their classrooms too. The teacher picked up... Read more

Raise your hand if you've ever heard a child joyfully declare, "X is for Xylophone!"? Read more

Surprisingly, just over 50% of elementary teacher preparation programs in the United States offer courses in scientifically based reading methods (Moorer, 2020). Our new Foundational Reading Skills White Paper explains the science of how students learn to read and what skills they need to be taught. Read more

We are thrilled to share that Read Naturally's curriculum directors have recently been featured in two high-quality educational publications accessed by tens of thousands of educators nationwide. Our Director of Curriculum, Karen McKenna, wrote an article for THE Journal entitled 5 Ways to Add Elements of the Science of Reading to a Balanced Literacy Program. Our Assistant Director of Curriculum, Sarah Jane Schonour, wrote an article for SmartBrief Education entitled Providing Literacy Intervention, Support Within MTSS. Read more

How can we make a difference for our students in the area of reading? What programs do we choose? How do we know these approaches will reach each student where they are? How can I help my students’ parents understand what they are supposed to do to support their child in the area of reading? These are all questions that educators reflect on regularly. Read more

Whenever I’m grappling with a difficult question, I remember the wise words of my favorite teacher. “Maybe this is not an either/or situation,” she once told me. “Maybe it’s a both, and.” In a world that often urges us to take sides and to feel only one way about something, it can be helpful to remember that a productive way forward frequently lies somewhere in the both, and. This wisdom can be applied to many situations, including… yes… effective reading intervention. Read more