Welcome to Our Blog
We Are Writers: A Kindergarten Journey
Literacy trainer Heather Rodman reflects on her conversations with a literacy coach in Ardsley Union Free School District, NY. Find out what contributed to these kindergarteners’ identity, agency, and independence as writers.
How to Teach Writing with Mentor Texts
What about teaching writing with mentor texts makes it essential to have in your teaching repertoire? Summer Literacy Institute guest speaker and blogger Carl Anderson breaks down the steps.
Poetry in the Age of Science of Reading
Poetry and other rhythmical texts offer unique advantages and opportunities for teachers and children in reading instruction.
The Coaching Notebook: Your Important End of Year Reflection Tool
A coaching notebook is a powerful reflection tool to consider the year’s accomplishments and determine goals for the upcoming school year.
Embracing the Sciences of Reading: What Every Literacy Teacher Needs to Know
A foundational expectation for every literacy teacher is a strong understanding of the content of the alphabetic system.
Good and Beautiful and Kind
Kids, Books & Anti-Racism Series featured speaker Afrika Afeni Mills highlights how characters on screen and paper broadened her perspective.
Summer 2023: Online Graduate Courses
Take advantage of the summer to enhance your career and literacy expertise!
Three Ways Coaches Can Support Teacher Planning
Improve teacher decision making through three key coaching moves.
Summer 2023: Professional Development for Literacy Educators and School Leaders
Make the most of your summer! Check out these literacy professional development opportunities.
Playing with Letters, Sounds, and Words: Lessons Learned from Four Year-Olds
Cindy Downend, our associate director of primary literacy programs, highlights her experiences helping the earliest readers with letters and sounds.
Upcoming Professional Development
Every Conversation Counts: Building Oral Language for Literacy
Build your capacity to intentionally foster children’s oral language development throughout the day. You’ll leave prepared to enrich children’s vocabulary, expand their thinking, facilitate authentic conversations, and create a language-rich classroom that strengthens early literacy outcomes.
Thinking Beyond the Page: Developing Deep Comprehension
Comprehension is the heart of reading—and it goes far beyond understanding the words on the page. Join us to learn practical ways to help students move from surface-level understanding to deeper analysis, meaningful reflection, and critical thinking about what they read.
Playful Pathways to Print: Learning About Language, Letters, Sounds, and Words
Explore how to turn young children’s love for playing with the sounds of language into meaningful literacy learning during this one-day workshop.