Literacy
Find and share strategies for helping students read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word.
Picture Books That Model Writing and SEL
Teachers can engage students in end-of-year reflection using these mentor texts to model SEL competencies and writing skills.255Incorporating Images in the Classroom
By treating media like text, teachers can create a fast, relevant, and affordable lesson that stimulates lively discussion.Tips to Help Students With Their Handwriting
These simple tricks to improve motor skills can empower young learners to feel more in control of their handwriting.
Is it Time to Drop ‘Finding the Main Idea’ and Teach Reading in a New Way?
Some schools are changing the way they teach reading—based on research that shows background knowledge is more critical to comprehension than general skills like ‘finding the main idea.’58.5kActivating Learning by Milling to Music
When students pretend they’re at a fancy party making small talk, a simple brainstorm for writing ideas becomes more lively, more cooperative—and more effective.16.7kUsing Movement to Teach Vocabulary
When students explore new words through movement, they understand them better, retain them longer, and feel more empowered to use them.17.2kHow to Move From the ‘Main Idea’ to ‘Background Knowledge’
Traditional approaches to reading instruction—such as finding the “main idea”—are less effective than a knowledge-rich approach, the research shows.3.2k
How to Teach Handwriting—and Why It Matters
Teaching young students how to write by hand before moving on to keyboarding can help improve their reading fluency as well.59.5kUsing Variety to Support Writing in Middle School
Middle school students may get inspired about writing if they’re offered exercises that support different methods of expression.312
5 Ways to Support Students Who Struggle With Reading Comprehension
These strategies can help students who are able to decode well but have difficulty understanding what they read—and they’re beneficial for all students.43.9k
4 Reading Strategies to Retire This Year (Plus 6 to Try Out!)
A look at a few popular literacy practices that shouldn’t make the cut—along with fresh strategies that experienced teachers and literacy experts recommend instead.27.2k
Reading Aloud to Middle School Students
Hearing books read aloud benefits older students, enhancing language arts instruction and building a community of readers.45.3kVocabulary-Building Activities for Young Students
Early elementary teachers can use these fun activities to help make vocabulary lessons accessible for all of their students.500Embedding SEL Into Early Literacy Through Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes are great texts to engage in shared reading and interactive writing about core SEL concepts.175How I Balance Direct Instruction and Student-Driven Workshops
Using accordion-style pacing—pressing students into small groups, then pulling the whole class together for direct instruction—teachers can create a rich environment for building key literacy skills.345
