Teaching Kids to Read

There’s big news in the world of reading — important for kids learning to read and especially kids who are struggling with reading. For years supporters of phonics-based approaches, which are supported by brain science, have been fighting a popular teaching philosophy called “balanced literacy,” which many schools still use. Now the most influential name in balanced literacy, Lucy Calkins, has acknowledged that teaching phonics works better.

How do you know if your school is using a phonics-based curriculum? Instead of focusing on sounding out words, balanced literacy teaches kids to read words using a number of strategies, including guessing at words from the context, or even the pictures. Some kids will learn to read no matter what curriculum is used, but for many others, especially those with dyslexia, phonics is the key to success. This week we round up our resources on how kids learn to read, the most effective way to teach them, and how to make sure kids with dyslexia are getting the support they need.