Components of the Reading Rope: Background Knowledge
Hollis Scarborough’s “Reading Rope” theory has been a hot topic in the world of literacy. If you listen to the Science of Reading podcast, you’re probably already familiar with Scarborough’s reading rope: a visual representation of all of the skills involved in reading. One of these skills is background knowledge. Background knowledge is everything a child […]
What is the Science of Reading?
You may have heard the buzz around the “Science of Reading” lately. New and trendy movements in education take off almost daily, but this one is worth paying attention to. For many years, even the most proactive and conscientious teachers have taught reading using a “Balanced Literacy” approach; that is, using a combination of explicit […]
The Five Elements of Reading Instruction
Through decades of research into how kids learn to read, most experts have reached a consensus that there is a right way to teach reading. Now called “The Science of Reading,” these best practices are becoming more and more widespread. Lots of people associate the science of reading with phonics instruction, or teaching kids how […]
Reading Benchmarks
This year, it has been especially hard for many parents to gauge how their children are doing in school. Strict social distancing rules have meant that there are no classroom visits to see your child in action, and many students haven’t stepped foot in a classroom themselves in over a year. You may be wondering […]
Building Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting
Blending and segmenting are two crucial skills that are part of phonemic awareness, one of the building blocks of reading. Let’s review what exactly phonemic awareness is. Phonemic awareness occurs when a student understands that words are made up of individual sounds, and can manipulate those sounds. The term comes from the root word ‘phoneme,’ […]
Building Phonemic Awareness
When we think of teaching a child to read, most parents and many teachers probably think of letter activities, flash cards, and lots of books. Yet, the first step in a child’s journey to becoming a reader begins with sounds not letters. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, differentiate, and manipulate sounds in words. […]
The Science of Letter Reversals (and How to Fix Them)
One of the hallmark signs of a student with dyslexia is letter reversals. Some common letter reversals are lowercase b and d, m and w, and p and q. It’s true that this is a common obstacle for students with dyslexia. However, not all students with dyslexia reverse letters and not all students who reverse […]
Syllable Types and Why They Matter
Are you a passionate educator who loves helping kids understand syllable types? Join our team and become a Braintrust tutor today! An important component of any structured literacy program is teaching kids about the different types of syllable. This comes as a surprise to some. Why do students need to know something as specific as […]
Phonics Terms and Lingo Defined
Finding your way around the world of phonics jargon can be intimidating. And it can feel daunting for any parent to try to support their child with reading when they don’t know the terminology to use! Here are the most important phonics words and phrases and what they mean in layman’s terms. While this list […]
Rules for Adding Suffixes
Sometimes it feels like all those phonics rules never end! But the silver lining is that there is rhyme and reason for almost every spelling rule out there–keyword, almost. And when it comes to adding suffixes to words and all the rules involved, there’s no exception. What are the suffix rules kids need to learn […]
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