Components of the Reading Rope: Vocabulary
Vocabulary is an undervalued asset. The richer a person’s vocabulary, the richer his or her thinking. We will only be able to communicate what our vocabulary allows. Therefore, if our vocabulary is limited, our communication will be limited as well. This is why vocabulary is one of the eight fundamental strands of Scarborough’s reading rope, […]
Components of the Reading Rope: Decoding
Decoding is at the heart of reading. While far from the only necessary skill, it is the skill without which all other reading skills are virtually useless. Decoding simply refers to the process of determining how to say a word based on its sounds. This used to be widely referred to as “sounding it out.” […]
Components of the Reading Rope: Literacy Knowledge
Literacy knowledge is another strand in Hollis Scarborough’s Reading Rope. It encompasses all of the ideas we know are true about language, books and the text within them. When children have knowledge of literacy concepts, it means that they have a foundation in all of the elements that make up conventional ways of reading, writing, […]
What is the Alphabetic Principle?
Are you a passionate educator? Do you love helping kids understand the alphabetic principle? Join our team and become a Braintrust tutor today! There’s a reason one of the first things students learn in pre-school is the Alphabet song. They need to know letter names and their sounds before they can begin reading words. And […]
Vocabulary Fundamentals
Vocabulary sometimes gets a bad rap—and with good reason. Historically, students learned vocabulary by memorizing the spelling and definitions of long lists of words. Their teacher would quiz them on it, then they would usually never use those words again. But when a teacher does it right, vocabulary instruction can be an instrumental part of […]
Braintrust’s List of Our Favorite Children’s Books
It’s here! Our curated list of the best books for readers of all ages! From fantasy tales to retellings of classic fables, sci-fi to real-life, graphic novels and memoirs, these books have been recommended by Braintrust tutors, parents, and students. Reading is a lifelong habit that can be truly transformative. We hope this list will […]
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