Research suggests that Reading Recovery instruction somehow penalizes students. Those who get the help do less well in ensuing years than similar kids who don't. This podcast explores possible explanations for this -- explanations that point up important lessons to be drawn from remedial inter...

Reading and writing are closely related. Teaching them together can have a powerful impact on both. This podcast explores three major ways that reading and writing can be combined in the classroom to increase students' literacy proficiency.

Despite all the interest in the "science of reading" (SOR) there are still some serious misunderstandings when it comes to recognizing and using research evidence. Even many proponents of SOR, in their zeal to get their way, misuse research as more of a rhetorical device than as a method for d...

A teacher asks how to plan a reading comprehension lesson. Tim Shanahan talks about the research and then suggests a series of steps that should be taken to plan a reading comprehension or to revise the lesson provided by your district.

Over the past decade there has been a public outcry for more phonics instruction in our schools. This has resulted in legislation across the country. Now, the discussion seems to be shifting -- reading authorities who played a significant role in this movement are complaining that we are overd...

Many schools have adopted fluency learning targets based upon fluency norms. Recent research shows that students are able to comprehend text reasonably well even with lower fluency levels. Does that mean that we are overdoing it with fluency instruction? The answer may surprise you.

If you would like to get into a good argument, tell someone when reading instruction should begin. I'm always surprised at how many people have an opinion on that topic, and how vociferously they sometimes share it. This podcast will reveal what we know about the best time to start teaching re...

This podcast explores the unfortunate implications of confusing curriculum and instruction. Teachers would do better to distinguish those concepts and to coordinate the one with the other.

Reading ability is often measured through oral reading fluency. These days that means having students read passages aloud and counting the numbers of words per minute read accurately. While this has value, it can lead teachers to encourage reading speed over the other elements of fluency (accu...

For years, teachers were told that teaching English grammar had no impact on reading comprehension or quality of writing. A more recent substantial body of evidence reveals the importance of sentence comprehension in comprehension. This podcast examines that evidence and makes instructional su...