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Blog: Shanahan on Literacy

How to Improve Text Fluency in the Middle Schools and High Schools

Schools should provide students with up to 30 minutes a day of fluency instruction. But remember, this is across all classes and content areas. Get quick tips on paired reading, repeated reading, and other ways to improve reading fluency.

Baking Banner
Blog: Decoding KidLit

Let’s Get Graphic: Baking Edition!

Let’s dive into the awesomeness that is the graphic novel. Although there are many “flavors” of graphic novels, we’re going to start with three graphic novels about cooking and baking!

Blog: Shanahan on Literacy

Marilyn Adams on Text Complexity

This idea of using challenging (not impossible texts) is important. Students do need texts that they can read, but they also need to stretch. Towards that end, I suggest the following.

Blog: Shanahan on Literacy

Middle School Interventions

Above the 30-35th%ile cutoff, I would definitely just give these kids extra time with the demanding grade-level materials. Below that line, and I would want to provide at least some explicit instruction in foundational skills.

Book covers of GAF winners since 2015
Blog: Opening a Door to the Past

An Origin Story: The Grateful American Book Prize

How does an idea spark a book prize? David Bruce Smith recalls how his desire for more kids to get excited about American history turned into the Grateful American Foundation and Book Prize.

Blog: Shanahan on Literacy

Pre-reading and ELLs: Let’s Take off the Training Wheels

Instead of front-loading the first reading, you could try front-loading the second or third — after the kids have had a chance to “pedal the bike themselves” — even if that pedaling isn’t perfectly successful.

Blog: Shanahan on Literacy

Round Robin by Any Other Name ... Oral Reading for Older Readers

While I encourage, and even require, oral reading instruction in middle schools, I don’t countenance round robin. Engage your kids in paired reading and they’ll get much more oral reading practice than in the round robin approach.