Best Practice
Reading
Best practices in reading include phonemic awareness, phonics fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Reading is best taught through teaching foundational skills through direct and explicit instruction along with providing a literature rich classroom where reading is done throughout the day. I see reading instruction done best through a combined approach. We can take so much from Structured Literacy, The Science of Reading, and Balanced Literacy to help students learn and develop their reading skills. Below are links to some fantastic resources to help with planning instruction for reading.
Reading Rockets: Best Practices in Reading
NWEA: The Science of Reading Explained
Reading Rockets: Structured Literacy: An Introductory Guide
Writing
Best practices in writing include teaching through choice, motivation, collaboration, and shared experiences. Writing instruction is difficult for many teachers because they do not feel that they are properly trained. Over the past 40-50 years, writing has gotten more attention and theories to approach instruction have been formed.
Reading Rockets: Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers
Kindergarten Favorites
