The Measured Mom

Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and their meanings. For many decades, researchers have noted that there is a strong correlation between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. And yet ... Researchers tell us that, traditionally, vocabulary instruction has not been strong ... in far too many classrooms. Believe me, I get it. As I planned my daily classroom schedule each school year, I ... Read More

It's week four of our deep dive into "The Big Five!" So far we've explored phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. Today we'll take a look at do's and don'ts for teaching comprehension. Have you ever heard people say that in the primary grades, children "learn to read" and in the later stages they "read to learn"? There's some truth to that. At the very early stages, students cannot comprehend what ... Read More

  Have you been following along with our series about the Big 5? So far we've tackled phonemic awareness and phonics. Now it's time to discuss the do's and dont's for teaching reading fluency.   As I look back on my years as a balanced literacy teacher, I realize that I misunderstood fluency and its place in the big picture. I was opposed to decodable books because I thought that leveled books, ... Read More

In today's post, the second in our 5-part series, we'll dive into do's and don'ts for teaching phonics. Another name for this post could be "Mistakes I've Made When Teaching Phonics ..." because I've made a lot. Let's start with a little backstory. When I first started teaching first grade, I had to use a very rigid phonics program that I detested. I was a balanced literacy teacher all the way, and I didn't ... Read More

Looking for tips for teaching phonemic awareness? In this post I'll share do's and don'ts for teaching phonemic awareness ... sharing mistakes I've made in the past and new insights I've gained through my study of the science of reading. As we consider do's and don'ts for teaching phonemic awareness skills, let's start with the basics. I admit it ... I didn't understand the difference between phonological and ... Read More

Have you been following along in our series about structured literacy? Becky Spence (This Reading Mama) are doing this collaborative blog series as we revise our online course, Teaching Every Reader, to align with the science of reading. In week 1, I named the elements of structured literacy. In week 2, we examined the key differences between balanced and structured literacy. I was honest about ... Read More

  Becky Spence and I have completely revised our online course to reflect the science of reading. We're opening the course back up on May 3; the doors will be open for one week, and those who join us will be able to go through the new material on their own schedule. To celebrate the revision and re-launch of course, we're offering a giveaway!   If you're a U.S. resident, you're eligible to ... Read More

It's time for another post in our structured literacy series! Today we'll look at teaching sound-symbol association. Have you been following along with our series about structured literacy? We've defined structured literacy, compared it to balanced literacy, and explained how to teach phonology in a structured literacy classroom. Today we're going for the big one ... sound-symbol association. What is sound-symbol ... Read More

Balanced and structured literacy are two different approaches to teaching reading. They have things in common, but when they're referenced in the same breath they're usually pitted against each other. I considered myself a "balanced literacy" teacher for many years. It's the approach I learned in graduate school, the approach I used as a classroom teacher, and the approach I (used to) teach on my website and in my ... Read More

Are you here to get the details about structured literacy? Let's dive in! For years I considered myself a balanced literacy teacher. And it's not really a surprise. I was in college when balanced literacy came into existence (1996).  I entered the classroom during its heyday (1999). And all the coursework I did for my master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction (with a focus on reading) revolved ... Read More