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We are thrilled to share that Read Naturally's curriculum directors have recently been featured in two high-quality educational publications accessed by tens of thousands of educators nationwide. Our Director of Curriculum, Karen McKenna, wrote an article for THE Journal entitled 5 Ways to Add Elements of the Science of Reading to a Balanced Literacy Program. Our Assistant Director of Curriculum, Sarah Jane Schonour, wrote an article for SmartBrief Education entitled Providing Literacy Intervention, Support Within MTSS. Read more

If you peruse Apple’s App Store, you’ll find thousands of apps that claim to be educational. But do these apps really promote learning? Or is the word “educational” just thrown in to make them more appealing to teachers and parents? Read more

National Center on Intensive Intervention content experts reviewed and published Read Naturally’s Taxonomy Brief on Read Naturally Live to help educators examine the extent to which the program incorporates the seven dimensions of a quality intensive reading program. Intervention Taxonomy Brief: Read Naturally Live is available on NCII’s website. Read more

How can we make a difference for our students in the area of reading? What programs do we choose? How do we know these approaches will reach each student where they are? How can I help my students’ parents understand what they are supposed to do to support their child in the area of reading? These are all questions that educators reflect on regularly. Read more

Dear Read Naturally Supporters,
We had another blog post planned for today, but it feels more important to write directly to you and acknowledge the incredible sadness our communities are facing right now. Being based in the Twin Cities, we’ve witnessed the tragic events of the past week unfolding in our own neighborhoods, not far from where Read Naturally began. Like you, we are committed to showing up for all students and all communities in pursuit of a more just world. We believe that helping students of all backgrounds achieve literacy is one step toward that goal—but we know there is an incredible amount of work yet to be done. Read more

Whenever I’m grappling with a difficult question, I remember the wise words of my favorite teacher. “Maybe this is not an either/or situation,” she once told me. “Maybe it’s a both, and.” In a world that often urges us to take sides and to feel only one way about something, it can be helpful to remember that a productive way forward frequently lies somewhere in the both, and. This wisdom can be applied to many situations, including… yes… effective reading intervention. Read more

​To advance literacy worldwide over the next decade, what topics do educators need to focus on? The International Literacy Association (ILA) recently put this question out to 1,443 literacy professionals from 65 countries and territories in the 2020 What’s Hot in Literacy survey. With the ultimate goal of better outcomes for students, this reputable report highlights the most critical topics in literacy and identifies areas that need more support. Read more

March is National Reading Awareness Month, and ReadAloud.org is asking families everywhere to commit to reading aloud with their children for at least 15 minutes each day for 21 ​straight days. The goal of this 21-Day Challenge is to make reading aloud a universal habit. Direct parents/guardians to sign up for the challenge anytime this month. Free downloads, including bookmarks, trackers, calendars, posters, certificates and more help make the challenge exciting for students and parents alike. Read more

As today’s world moves at a relentless pace, educators are being asked to do the impossible: they’re expected to keep their classrooms up to date when research, technology, and best practices seem to evolve on a daily basis. How can we get to the bottom of anything when the landscape is constantly changing? Creating structure where we can is the best way to mitigate the chaos. In this spirit, the International Literacy Association recently created the first-ever set of national standards to guide literacy professionals. Read more

Imagine that a fourth grader comes home from school raving about a math game he got to play on an iPad at school. He asks his mom if he can continue playing the game at home. The mom finds the free game online, and it seems legit, so she agrees. A little extra math practice can’t hurt, right? But when she goes to check on her son a short while later, it’s clear he’s not using the game to improve his math skills at all. He’s solving problems like 2+2. He likes this “math game” because he has figured out how to make it 1% math practice and 99% just a game. (He has also weaseled his way into extra screen time.) Read more