When young readers encounter words like”butterfly” or “elephant” for the first time, many freeze in their tracks. These longer, three-syllable words can look like insurmountable mountains to children who have only mastered simple one-syllable words. But with the right approach based on the science of reading and explicit phonics instruction, these seemingly complex words become […]
Imagine your child holding a book, their eyes lighting up as they successfully sound out their first word independently. That magical moment is often the result of effective phonics instruction, the cornerstone of early reading development. For parents watching their little ones struggle with reading, understanding what phonics is and how it works can be […]
While phonics often takes center stage in early reading instruction, another powerful language system is equally important: morphology. Did you know that over 60% of unfamiliar words can be understood if students have strong morphological awareness? When a child encounters a word like “unhelpful,” understanding the meaning of “un-” and “-ful” immediately provides clues to […]
Children enter literacy development long before they ever learn the alphabet song or begin sounding out simple words. In fact, language acquisition—the early foundation of reading skills—begins for infants. It’s never too early to introduce your child to the joy of reading in order to support their literacy development. When it’s time to teach your […]
Learning to read is a life-changing milestone for children. It opens the door to lifelong learning and can impact academic success. At the foundation of every child’s reading journey is phonics instruction—the method of teaching kids the relationship between spoken language and alphabetical letters. Whether your child is a pre-reader or on their way to […]
Reading is an amazing, sophisticated ability unique to humans. It takes several important skills to become a high-level reader, all of which are obtained at different stages of development. Over the last century, researchers in multiple fields of study worldwide have compiled evidence on how humans learn to read and write. Cognitive psychologists, speech-language pathologists, […]
Literacy, the ability to read and write, is a critical aspect of living in today’s world. For many of us, we acquire literacy skills as children and use them throughout our lives without really thinking about how we learned to read and write. Many adults don’t appreciate these foundational skills unless they have decided to pursue a […]
