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Each year, the United States celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15. This heritage month recognizes Hispanic Americans and their ancestors for their contributions to the history, culture, and achievements of our country. We at Read Naturally are honored to celebrate Hispanic Americans and their ancestors. Many Hispanic American students are multilingual learners for whom Spanish is their primary language. To meet these students’ needs, we developed Read Naturally Live—Español.   Read more

The start of the school year is all about getting to know your new students—their personalities, their interests, and their individual needs. Determining which students need extra support in reading, and what that support should look like, are some of the most important decisions you’ll make this year. Thankfully, we’re here to help. Educators can choose from a number of reputable assessments to screen for reading concerns. From there, Read Naturally can help you interpret the data and choose the appropriate intervention. Read more

If you’ve ever had questions about how certain phonics sounds should be pronounced, our Audio Examples of Phonics Sounds page is your new best friend. This page includes an audio demo of the phonics sounds and patterns you and your students will come across in phonics instruction and assessment. It’s also a handy guide to interpreting those breves (˘), and macrons (−). Read more

When it comes to reading intervention, the importance of a quality program cannot be overstated. With so many options available, it can be challenging to determine which program will best suit the needs of your students. Here are eleven key features to consider when looking for a reading intervention program:  Read more

One consequence of the pandemic is a measurable decline in reading proficiency across the nation, and many educators are opting to use their ESSER funds to correct this. Remaining ESSER funds, intended to mitigate learning loss due to the pandemic, must be allocated by September 30, 2024. Read Naturally programs are an ideal way to spend this use-it-or-lose-it funding to improve reading outcomes and overall academic success.   Read more

It's now well past February, but the remnants of Valentine's Day still linger in my couch cushions. The handmade cards are always my favorite ones to find… especially the ones wishing a "Happy Valantine's Day." I asked my first grader if he knew what makes the word Valentine so hard to spell. He guessed, "Because it's a long word," which is half right. Long words are usually multisyllabic, and multisyllabic words usually have a schwa. The schwa sound—such as the one on the first "e" in Valentine—is notorious for making words difficult to read and spell. Read more

I recently worked with a second grader who showed me a paragraph he wrote about helping the “oshin.” His thoughtful ideas were right on the mark. His spelling, however, was not. When this boy reads books about the ocean, complete with pictures and context clues, he can read the word without hesitation. But when I later showed him the word “ocean” on its own, he had no idea what it said. What’s going on here? Read more

Are you looking for a professional development opportunity that’s practical, applicable, accessible, AND affordable?
Read Naturally is proud to partner with Keys to Literacy to offer a fantastic professional development opportunity for K to Grade 3 educators. Offered this winter and spring, the Keys to Beginning Reading course provides the knowledge needed to teach the components of beginning reading. Read more

Is it possible to teach prosody, or do students simply learn it naturally? Tim Shanahan, a leader of the National Reading Panel and former first grade teacher, believes that evidence supports direct teaching of prosody as part of fluency. Read more

Your struggling readers have likely asked themselves, or you, “Why is reading hard for me?” Sometimes, there is not a clear reason. With a little extra help, many struggling readers are simply able to crack the code and catch up. Other times, there is a clear reason: For millions of students, it’s dyslexia. Unfortunately, many individuals with dyslexia remain undiagnosed and have a more difficult time catching up to their peers. Read more