30 Science of Reading Resources
As educators, we are always learning and growing in order to improve reading instruction. It can be challenging to sift through the many resources available, so we have created a list for you. The following includes a list of 30 resources for educators who wish to further their knowledge about the Science of Reading.
5 "Must See" Resources to Get Started
1. EAB Report: Narrowing the 3rd Grade Reading Gap (10 minute read)
A research brief for educators embracing the science of reading from the EAB District Leadership Forum. This is an accessible read for educators who want to learn more and implement classroom instruction that is aligned to the science of reading.
2. Of ‘Hard Words’ and Straw Men: Let’s Understand What Reading Science is Really About by Louisa Moats (5 minute read)
An article about what the Science of Reading really entails and how important it is to really have an understanding of the components of foundational literacy instruction in order to implement them effectively into the classroom.
3. Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read? (45 minute listen)
Emily Hanford, educational journalist has researched reading instruction across the US. Her findings sparked conversations about The Science of Reading and how we can improve reading proficiency in the US.
4. Videos: Is My Kid Learning to Read? (Part 1 and Part 2; 26 minutes)
How many students are being taught to read in the classroom can be eye-opening for parents. Watch this two-part video series to learn more about how students may be learning to read and how to best support them as they continue to learn to read.
Okay, we kind of cheated with #5, but if you read nothing else on Reading Rockets, be sure to check out their articles on Phonological and Phonemic Awareness and Why Phonological Awareness is Important for Reading and Spelling.
Infographics
6. The Ladder of Reading by Nancy Young
“The genesis of the Reading Rope dates back to Scarborough’s lectures for parents on the complexities involved in learning to read. Originally, she spoke of skilled reading as resembling the 'strands' of a rope, using pipe cleaners to illustrate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all the components.”
8. How Our Brains Learn to Read
Our brains are naturally set up to learn to speak, but learning to read does not happen on its own. Scientists have found that we must develop certain parts of our brains and build connections between brain areas that were not connected before. The picture (below) shows four different areas of our brains that we use when we read.
Podcasts
Stories about education, opportunity, and how people learn. Emily Hanford podcasts are recommended and two favorites are listed below:
At a Loss for Words (52 minutes; published Aug. 22, 2019)
National Assessment Shows More K-12 Students Struggling to Read (25 minutes; published Nov. 1, 2019)
10. Glean Education: Research to Practice
Dive into current research, hot topics, and success stories with our two podcast series for educators.
Why Phonological Awareness is Important to Reading? (23 minutes; published Jan. 3, 2019)
How to Make Sight Word Instruction and Reading Intervention More Effective (50 minutes published Oct. 1, 2020)
11. Science of Reading: The Podcast by Amplify Education
The latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading. Each episode takes a conversational approach and explores a timely topic related to the science of reading.
12. Teaching, Reading & Learning: The Podcast by The Reading League
Listen to speakers who have made important contributions to the educational community as they discuss reading and writing, but connect to other “literacies” that impact children’s learning.
Websites, Blogs & Webinars
The Reading League is a non-profit organization focused on the mission to advance awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-based reading instruction.
A group of teachers, researchers, and activists committed to the pursuit of equity through literacy.
15. Louisa Moats
A website from Literacy Expert, Louisa Moats, includes webinars, blogs, and articles for educators committed to best practices in literacy instruction.
Emily Gibbons, certified dyslexia practitioner and creator of The Literacy Nest shares resources for instruction for struggling readers.
17. CORE Learn
The Consortium on Reaching Excellence is Education (CORE) provides many excellent resources and free professional learning opportunities.
A kindergarten teacher who shares her experience along with many resources in the areas of literacy.
19. Education Week
A website sharing in-depth information and research serving K-12 education.
Articles & Research
20. Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (2008)
21. Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read (2000)
22. Learning to Read: Center for Early Reading (Part 1 and Part 2)
Teacher Resources
24. Florida Center for Reading Research: FCRR
25. University of Florida Literacy Institute: UFLI
26. The Simple View of Reading
Professional Books
27. Speech to Print by Louisa Moats (2014)
28. Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties by David Kilpatrick (2015)
29. Phonics from A to Z by Wiley Blevins (2017)
30. Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print by Marilyn Adams (1994)
Did we miss a resource? Please leave a comment and let us know!
Thank you. This site of the International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction may be of interest as it has a great deal of information and a picture of developments on the topic of reading instruction.
https://iferi.org
Is Equipped for Reading Success by Kilpatrick one that we should be sure to read?
Hi Dana,
Equipped for Reading Success has a lot of wonderful information in it and if you are looking to learn more about phonemic proficiency and build a solid foundation, Equipped is definitely a great read!
Podcast ERRR- Australian by Ollie Lovall
Nessy resources- screeners, books, supports
Any books written by Lyn Stone (Australian)
SPELD SA
Thank you so much for sharing! We will definitely check out this resource!
I begin in January as a pre-K teacher at a private school. There is no curriculum and I get to begin from scratch. Where do I begin?
Hi Christine!
Congratulations on your new journey as a PK teacher. 3 and 4 year olds are in the earliest stages of literacy development, which is my opinion, is one of the best states. If you can work with our Early Pre-K or Pre-K Phonmeic Awareness Curriculum, as well as with oral language activities, letter naming and sound identification, you will be setting a solid foundation for your students and preparing them to read and write in Kindergarten. Good luck!
I am looking for decodable sets for k-2 (hard copies) for my school to purchase.
Hi Dixie,
Have you checked out our Frog and Toucan series on our website? Check them out, and we are happy to answer any additional questions: https://heggerty.org/decodable-books/
Love your resources. We are trying to encourage K-3 teachers to get engaged with the Science of Reading and are providing coursework and supports–Reading Rockets being a major part of that. What we do not have available is an assessment of the teacher’s knowledge that is independent of other requirements. We are willing to pay for the assessment administration but cannot expect this number of teachers to agree to additional hours of practicums and other requirements. Any resource you can point us to would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Stephen,
It sounds like you are doing great work in equipping teachers with the necessary knowledge to teach reading correctly. What kinds of resources are you looking for? LETRS training is widely used to provide teachers with the necessary knowledge in foundational skills. Have you looked into that?