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Phonics skills are foundational to reading fluently and with comprehension. It's essential for reading teachers to determine which students need phonics support and what that support should look like. Read Naturally is here to support your students’ phonics needs every step of the way—from assessment, to intervention, to ongoing skill maintenance. Read more

The renewed enthusiasm over the past few years for phonics instruction has been heartening. I have believed in, and therefore taught, phonics skills since the beginning of my teaching career in 1970. (In fact, I am the proud owner of a well-worn 1967 edition of A Guide to Teaching Phonics, by June Orton.) Phonemic awareness and basic phonics skills are essential foundations on which students build toward the ultimate goal of reading: comprehension. So, through the phonics wars and beyond I continued to teach phonics to my students (and I still do today). Read more

One of the criteria for passing a Read Naturally story is that students need to answer all the comprehension questions correctly. When teachers learn of this requirement, they tend to have a few questions. Here are the most frequently asked questions about our comprehension requirement, along with answers from our curriculum experts. Read more

Do you have students who seem more focused on rate than on overall reading improvement? As students build fluency, it’s natural for them to them to try to read faster. When they become too focused on speed, however, they often lose accuracy and expression. Read more

As promised, we are back with another round of new, free resources! If you missed the first post, click here  for blank graphs, story labels, a weekly story tracker, and a difficult word list. Keep reading for new student surveys, stickers, labels for Word Warm-ups Live Level 3, and story... Read more

As you know, students will make optimal reading progress when they work in material at the appropriate level. The problem is that the definition of “appropriate level” changes depending on the context. When should you give students material at their independent level? How about their instructional level? What is the difference between the two? And is it ever appropriate to let them work at their frustration level? If you’ve ever found yourself asking these questions—or if you find yourself needing to explain these concepts to parents—you’ve come to the right place! We’re here to break it down for you. Read more

Teacher modeling has a huge impact on potential for mastery in almost any complex skill. In Read Naturally programs, Teacher Modeling shows up in our Read Along Step. The student reads along while listening to a recording of a story, usually three times. At least, that what they’re supposed to do. Aside from verbal instruction, what can we do to encourage subvocalization? Read more

We hope that you and your students will enjoy these new printables: updated labels, a weekly story tracker, a difficult word list, and blank graphs for Read Naturally Live. Read more

There are an unlimited number of variables surrounding and affecting us at all times. Reading time is no exception. What can we do to create an optimal reading space for our students and children? Here are some easy and effective ideas: Read more

The two most important factors in a successful read-aloud are a great book selection and a great delivery. When these two factors are present, it feels like magic. The room becomes still. All eyes are on the reader. The crowd collectively furrows at the worrisome parts of the story and roars with laughter at the funny parts. When good stories are read aloud, they can instantly lift up, teach, and unite diverse groups of people. Few things in life are so simple, yet so powerful. Read more