How can I create a literacy-rich classroom? Optimize reading and writing instruction throughout the school day? Make my classroom more welcoming and inclusive? And engage parents as partners? Browse the resources below to help jumpstart a great school year.
Get a snapshot of what a literacy-rich environment looks like, a closer look at literacy centers, tips on how to build an inviting classroom library that encourages reading across genres, ideas to help welcome your English language learners and their families, and more.
Literacy expert Tim Shanahan says that kids should get between 120-180 minutes per day of reading/writing instruction. Students need instruction in multiple areas: word knowledge, oral reading fluency, writing, and reading comprehension, and Shanahan offers a “non-block” literacy schedule that accommodates each, while allowing for flexibility — including time for reading and writing in science and social studies.
An important first step in helping students succeed is building their confidence and comfort level by making them feel welcome in the classroom. This is particularly important for English language learners (ELLs), some of whom may have recently come to the U.S. Here are some resources from our sister site Colorín Colorado that share ideas on how to make all students feel welcome:
Learn the basics about inclusion, characteristics of inclusive classrooms that work, and things you can do to implement inclusion principles right away — including setting up your classroom, creating effective learning groups, and adapting your curriculum.
With thoughtful planning, reading and writing instruction can be adapted to meet the needs of every student in the classroom. Get ideas to help you design an inclusive language arts program, including tips about your classroom library, integrating technology, visual supports, read aloud strategies, teaching comprehension, and more.
A new school year means a new grade, new teachers, new goals, and maybe even a new school! We've put together a list of helpful back-to-school tips that we hope will make the transition into a new school year a little easier for you and your child. Communication, organization, and staying up-to-date on special education news are key. Related:
VOTE for Reading Rockets’s proposed #SXSWEDU session “What You Need To Know About Teaching Reading,” with Kareem Weaver (Oakland NAACP), Kelly Butler (Mississippi Reads), Kyle Zimmer (First Book), and Noel Gunther (Reading Rockets). Thank you!
In this new blog post from teacher and literacy coach Margaret Goldberg, see how her shift to more effective literacy instruction led to more joy, motivation, and achievement for her students — and for her and her fellow teachers! “Balanced Literacy has disseminated images of joyous classrooms and happy, nurturing educators for so long that it can be hard for teachers to visualize an appealing alternative. I might have made the shift away from Balanced Literacy sooner and with less trepidation, if I had been able to visualize how beautiful my classroom would become.”
Decodable books play an important role in phonics instruction and building confidence in young readers. Learn more about decodable books, how they differ from predictable texts, and how to select high-quality texts that align with the scope and sequence of your phonics program.
To repurpose predictable books for activities other than reading, we need to look at them with fresh eyes and new criteria. What are the features of this individual book that make it a useful teaching tool? A single book may have more than one useful feature and it might be repurposed for any number of language development, writing, or art activities. Discover some of the features you might look for in predictable books and example activities to help with lesson planning.
In this special Reading Rockets video series, reading expert Linda Farrell works one-on-one with students in grades K-3 to help ensure that they master the skills they need to become proficient readers. The video series shows what it really takes to teach critical skills such as naming letters accurately, blending and manipulating the sounds in words, mastering the connection between letters and sounds, recognizing spelling patterns, and reading multisyllable words. Free Viewer’s Guides and Facilitator’s Guides accompany each video, to support professional development in your school or district.
Watch Reading Rockets’ exclusive video interviews with top children’s book authors and illustrators. You’ll discover why Gene Yang loves comics and coding, how family history weaves itself into Jaqueline Woodson’s powerful stories, why Erin Entrada Kelly says there are many different ways to be strong and mighty, why Patricia Polacco’s warm family tales seem so real, and many more insights into your favorite book creators! Browse our video library — you’ll find more than 150 lively interviews.
Stories about the changing season, school days, and new friends can help ease kids into the school year. You'll find some of our back-to-school favorites, including stories that celebrate joyful, welcoming schools. To search for more books, try our Book Finder tool.
Learn more about why diverse books matter for all kids, and how to find high-quality fiction and nonfiction books that explore and celebrate our diverse and multicultural communities. Hear from children’s authors about their own experiences growing up and the books they write for young readers. You’ll also find guidance on assessing and diversifying your classroom library and how to use diverse books in the classroom — throughout the school year.
Uncover some great fiction and nonfiction books about rain, wind, and big storms; tornado poetry (and other writing prompts); kid-friendly weather apps and podcasts; and a set of easy hands-on activities. Keep a weather diary, cook up some kitchen snowflakes, explore the wind, create your own magical rainstick, and more. See all 24 kid-friendly topics at Start with a Book ›
Helping children with homework isn’t always easy. Try these tips: Study the same things in different ways and places, mix up the study time, and space out learning. Get more ideas in this article from our Growing Readers series, available in English and Spanish.
Early literacy expert Bernadette Pilar Zermeño says that parents can watch for and support these pre-reading skills: interest in learning about and using new words, lots of talking (and expressing increasingly complex ideas through oral language), rhyming and playing with word sounds, letter awareness, and understanding how books work. From our Reading SOS series for parents, where experts answer real questions from families about reading and how to support their children's literacy at home.)
Learn what it takes to become a strong reader and writer — and discover lots of easy literacy-building activities to do with your child at home. (Created in partnership with the National Education Association)
Reading Rockets is a national educational service of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital. The goal of the project is to provide information on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.
Send your questions, comments, or suggestions to info@readingrockets.org. Our mailing address is WETA/Reading Rockets, 2775 S. Quincy St., Arlington, VA 22206. We look forward to hearing from you!
