Beginning Readers

Back to School: Getting to Know Your First Grade Readers

It’s Back to School time! Looking for some fun reading tips and activities your children will love? This post offers free printables that will make the first weeks of school a success for students and teachers! Essential Back to School Assessments for Early Readers Back to School is an exciting time for primary students! First…

Assessment | Beginning Readers | Instruction | Kindergarten

What is the Best Way Begin Teaching Reading in Kindergarten?

The best way to begin teaching reading in kindergarten is to resist the urge to jump right into instruction. First, you need to know where to start and then you need to know where you are going. We refer to this instructional cycle as “Assess, Analyze, Instruct”. At Informed Literacy it is our core belief…

Beginning Readers | Decodable texts | Emergent readers

Decodable Nonfiction Books for Beginning Readers

Kindergarten and First Grade readers love to read nonfiction. Many of these kiddos are emerging readers who often have trouble accessing traditional nonfiction texts. That’s why it’s important to include decodable nonfiction books in your reading instruction.

What is a Closed Syllable and Why is it Important?

Teaching beginning readers about the closed syllable is an important first step in reading success. Kindergarten, First Grade, and emergent readers benefit from lessons that include explicit, systematic instruction of the syllable type, both in isolation and in connected text (decodable readers).

Beginning Readers | Decodable Books | Decodable texts | Emergent readers | Phonics

The Magic of Decodable Texts

Decodable Texts are a Powerful Tool What’s the big deal about decodable texts? Approximately 20% of the population is prone to a language based learning disability. For these learners, reading does not come ‘naturally’. To meet with reading success, repeated opportunities to practice code are non-negotiable. Systematic, sequential, and cumulative practice with the alphabetic…

Alphabetic Principle | Beginning Readers | Emergent readers | Letter Names and Sounds

The Alphabetic Principle

A Cornerstone for Reading Success What is the Alphabetic Principle? Along with phonemic awareness (the ability to blend and segment the sounds in words), the alphabetic principle is essential for reading success. The alphabetic principle is the understanding that letters and letter patterns represent sounds in the spoken language.