Informed Literacy LLC

Our newest blog post is hot off the press and all about addressing your questions about decodable running records.

🙌🏻For us, it’s moving past a ‘pass/fail’ designation and looking more deeply at students’ discrete reading skills in order to make informed decisions about the next instructional steps.

👉🏻We answer the following:

⭐️How can I get information about my students’ reading by if leveled running records are out?

⭐️What are decodable running records?

⭐️Can’t I just use any decodable book to complete a running record?

⭐️What skills are analyzed in a decodable running record?

⭐️Can I use these controlled passages to determine other reading skills?

⭐️When is the best time to administer the controlled-passage assessment?

⭐️Why use a running record for if it’s not to determine a student’s reading level?

⭐️This feels overwhelming—Where do I start?

🤔If you’re wondering the answer about any of these questions, write “DECODABLE” in the comments and we’ll send the post straight to your DMs.

We are reading this book as an instructional team at my school.

🤗I also read it a few years back with my reading department and it's still a great read!

🧠Executive functioning is such an important part of reading (and life in general).

👉🏻As teachers, we always provide our students with strategies and tips and tricks, but do they *really* know WHEN to use them?

👉🏻Let's take successive blending as an example. Successive blending is an instructional scaffold that helps students hold on to sounds more efficiently as they're blending words (we wrote a blog post all about it).

🙌🏻I have been teaching successive blending for years now, but I made a quick and easy change to my instruction several years back.

⭐️My students and I have a direct conversation about when they should use this strategy.

⭐️I tell them that "Sound stretching (which is what I call successive blending with students) is the perfect strategy to use when you get stuck while blending sounds in a word. If you are stretching out these sounds.../m/.../a/..../p/ and say pam, then you should try to sound stretch. m/.../a/...../ma/..../ma/..../p/...map. See how this helped?"

👉🏻I will then be sure to point out WHEN they should use successive blending during our intervention sessions.

⭐️I take it a step further and explicitly TELL students that they should use sound stretching not only with me, but in their classroom as well!

🤷🏻‍♀️YUP...some kids need us to be that specific. I've had students say to me....OHHHH you want us to use that in the classroom TOO?!?

👉🏻Here's our friendly PSA: Don't leave it up to chance....assume nothing and be as specific as possible.

🤣Ok...I'm hopping off my soapbox.

❤️Please like, save and share this post! If you'd like a link to the book, Causes & Cures, comment TITLE.

This visual illustrates why b-d-p-q are so difficult for some people to remember.

👀You might hear an emergent reader proclaim, "They're all the same!"....and they kind of ARE the same. b, d, p, q are just inverted forms of one another.

✍🏻This is why correcting b/d reversals can be difficult, but so necessary.

💻Our blog is all about HOW to correct b-d reversals.

🚨Spoiler alert: as with many things in education (and life) there isn’t ONE magical way that works for everyone!

🔗If you’d like us to send you the link, comment BD!

❤️Please like, share and save this post for later!!!

In our blog post, we outline a total of 8 tips and tricks to support b-d reversals, which is a common challenge for many emergent and struggling readers.

🍎Here are the first 6 tips.

💻If you’d like an elaboration of these tips, please check out our full blog post!

🔗Comment BD and we’ll DM you the link.

❤️Feel free to share your favorite method of remediation of b-d reversals below!

Like everything literacy related, you can’t build on a shaky foundation.

👉🏻Ideally, handwriting should be addressed in the early grades.

✍🏻Providing adequate instruction on letter formation helps prevent bad habits.

😬Bad habits in letter formation include things like forming the letters from the bottom up, reversals, random capitals, and ‘drawing the letters’.

🙌🏻Once these habits are formed it is difficult, but not impossible, to break them.

🧠It will require systematic, explicit instruction and plenty of opportunities to practice in order to rewire the muscle memory.

❌The problem of improper letter formation will not resolve itself.

🕰️While letter formation can take time to reinforce, it is time well spent!

🤗If you'd like to learn more about how we explicitly teach handwriting, check out our blog post!

🔗If you'd like us to DM you the link, comment WRITE.

❤️Please like, save and share this post!

Whenever students are introduced to a new phonics pattern, it is vital to supply them with decodable text that aligns with that specific pattern.

⭐️This sets students up for success. Providing targeted decodable texts reinforces the notion that the English language is not random, and words follow patterns.

📚Decodable books and texts give students much-needed practice applying the code of the English language.

🤗Wendy and are SOOOOO excited to offer our newest set of readers...our VCe packs!

🚀The comprehension component goes beyond comprehension questions and really targets vocabulary, grammar using a SUPER fun and effective sentence activity.

🤑The best part is that these books, along with our ENTIRE TPT store, are 25% off with the code CYBER23.

🛍️The sale ends tomorrow, so be sure to grab them soon!

🔗If you'd like a link to the product, comment SALE and we'll DM you!

WOOT WOOT! The TPT sale starts tomorrow, 11/27 through 11/28 where you can score up to 25% everything in our store with the code CYBER23.

⭐️In addition to our Decodable Running Records (which are a gamechanger in asessing reading skills), we have a huge selection of products including resources you can use in your small group reading instruction that are aligned to the Science of Reading.

👉🏻Just as we are explicit with students, our products contain detailed lesson plans that help you teach the content even if you're brand new to SOR.

🤗We would be so appreciative if you followed our store and checked out our resources.

❤️If you've purchased from us before, we'd love you to leave a review!

💰You'll earn TPT credits which are basically dollars off your purchases.

🤑You can even review FREE products in additional to purchases now.

🔗Let us know if you'd like us to DM you a link to our store (or check out the link in bio)!

🛍️Happy shopping! What's on your wish list???

If you're like us, you might be knee deep in holiday shopping!

Our newest blog post is all about our top 10 tools we incorporate into our structured literacy lessons.

🛠️Many of these tools add a multisensory component while infusing a whole lotta fun!

🛍️🛒While you're adding items to your cart over the next few weeks, be sure to you add a few of these!

🤗Your students will thank you!

Please drop a 💚 in the comments if you'd like us to DM you the link to the post.

Wendy and I are so incredibly thankful for our health, family and loved ones.

We are also so thankful for each and every teacher who takes the time to interact with us, ask questions and offer their vast experiences!

We hope you have a relaxing, good-for-the-soul day!🦃

As districts are [finally] moving away from reading levels, teachers aren't the only ones feeling the void.

😢Parents and families have come to rely on this measure to gauge their children's reading progress.

🙌🏻We totally understand the desire to have quantifiable data that justifies a student's progress.

🚫Buuuutttt.....leveled running records aren't it.

👉🏻Many of us have just finished up fall conferences and heard the dreaded words.....So what level are they?

🤗Here is how is our response:

Our district is in the process of making a critical shift in our instructional practices to support the Science of Reading. Given the fact that leveled text is highly dependent on a student's vocabulary and background knowledge, we have found that they are not an effective tool for measuring a student's reading progress. Also, at the beginning reading levels, they promote ineffective 'strategies' such as looking at the picture and guessing words rather than our ultimate goal of using patterns they've learned to decode the words. I'd like to share the universal screening data I've collected. This data is administered in a standardized way and has a benchmark goal. [insert data scores - we use DIBELS, but there are other effective measures out there]. I'd also like to share the data I've collected from your child's decodable running record. From this measure, I can confirm that they are accurately reading words that contain the patterns I've taught. While I'm aware that comprehension can be tricky to assess as it's tied to background knowledge and vocabulary, I can see that your child was able to retell this story with key story elements and was able to answer questions about the text...

🙌🏻Our decodable running records resource guides you through the process of sharing reading data with families or at instructional meetings.

🔗If you'd like the link to this resource, comment READ and we'll DM you.

❤️Please like, save and share this post if it was helpful!

When teaching phonics explicitly, CONTRAST is literally like a secret weapon.

👉🏻For example, when teaching short vowel words you might begin by teaching some 'short a' words exclusively.

👉🏻Then you might move into a few 'short e', etc.

👌🏻This is perfectly acceptable as students are initially learning, but once they catch on, it's critical to provide contrast with mixed vowels.

🤗We encourage you to do so as soon as possible. This becomes particularly important as students are taught the different syllable types.

🌟Another example is once students have learned closed syllables and then learn closed syllable exceptions.

🧠It's important for them to 'train their brains' and flexibly decode words. Provide them with word lists that require them to decode both patterns.

👉🏻When students have learned Magic -e words, it's important for them to be presented with closed syllable, closed syllable exceptions, open syllables, etc.

🤗We also love fluency grids for providing contrast at the word and even letter/sound level.

❓Do you provide contrast in your instruction? Let us know if the comments.

❤️Please be sure to like, save and share this post with a friend!

Whenever students are introduced to a new phonics pattern, it is vital to supply them with decodable text that aligns with that specific pattern.

🌟This sets students up for success.

🌟Providing targeted decodable texts reinforces the notion that the English language is not random, and words follow patterns.

🙌🏻Decodable books and texts give students much-needed practice applying the code of the English language.

🤗Wendy and are SOOOOO excited to offer our newest set of readers...our VCe packs!

🔥The comprehension component goes beyond comprehension questions and really targets vocabulary, grammar using a SUPER fun sentence activity.

🔥The best part is that we are offering our 'hot off the press' BUNDLE for $10 until 11:59pm ET tonight.

🤯That's just $1 per book! After that, the price will increase to $16.

😘If you're not interested in a bundle, each 2-pk is available for individual purchase as well. Grab them today!

🔗If you'd like a link to the product, comment VCE and we'll DM you!

Our newest blog post is all about the Vowel-Consonant-e syllable and why it is so important.

😬This is often a very difficult syllable type for students, particularly struggling readers, to grasp.

🫣You might be wondering why....

👉🏻This syllable type requires students to have the capability of holding onto the letter sequence all the way to the end of the word where the silent e lies in wait.

🧠This can be taxing on short term memory or for students who have executive functioning issues.

💻🔗If you'd like to learn about how we teach this concept explicitly, be sure to drop us a "MAGIC" in the comments and we'll DM you the link.

❤️Please like, save and share this post for future reference.

Our blog post shares how we explicitly teach the open syllable pattern.

⭐️There are three powerful reasons to teach this syllable type:

1️⃣Students can grasp this pattern relatively quickly. Because the words that follow this pattern contain so few letters, segmenting and blending this syllable type does not tax a student’s phonemic memory.

2️⃣ Teaching this pattern promotes flexible thinking when word solving. As students are exposed to unfamiliar words, they must have the resources (knowledge) to word solve. The understanding that vowels have more than one sound will help students become flexible as they decode unfamiliar words.

3️⃣Nonsense words! We’ve talked before about the importance of incorporating nonsense words in your phonics instruction. One important reason is because many nonsense words are syllables within longer words.

👉🏻Also, it’s important to note that open syllables occur more frequently in multisyllabic words.

⭐️As students learn to read nonsense words such as 'ba' and 'mo' they will begin to have a strategy to help them read longer words such as basis and moment.

💻Please be sure to read the FULL blog post.

🔗Comment OPEN and we’ll DM you the link!

❤️Please like, share and save this post for future reference.

✍🏻The benefits of explicitly teaching handwriting are wayyyyyy beyond what you might think.

🧠Automatic letter formation actually frees up brain space so one can fully focus on the content of the writing rather than all the other "stuff".

✍🏻This isn’t just for little friends….while it’s tougher as students get older,, poor letter formation impedes writing progress for students of all ages. It can and should be remediated no matter the age.

💻Please check out our blog post where we discuss this topic in detail.

❤️Please like, share and save this post for future reference. Drop an emoji in the comments about how you feel about teaching handwriting.

Our newest blog post! Teaching handwriting is one of the cornerstones of literacy because reading and writing are reciprocal skills.

✍🏻As students learn to spell words with the same phonetic patterns they are reading, it helps solidify their understanding.

⏰Automaticity and accuracy in letter formation frees up working memory.

🧠Then students can concentrate on what they are writing, rather than how!

❤️If you want to learn more, be sure to save this post for future reference.

🔗Comment HANDWRITING and we’ll send you the link to the full blog post!

Oral language is a foundational component of literacy.

🤔The first question you might ask is, What IS oral language.

👉🏻Oral language, also known as spoken language, refers to one's speaking and listening skills.

✍🏻Written language is based upon oral language. If students exhibit difficulty understanding at the oral level, it makes sense that they will then also have trouble comprehending written text.

🧐Oral language is a predictor of reading success, so students with weak oral language are therefore at risk for reading difficulties.

🍎So what does that mean for us as educators? In order to improve oral language, students should be exposed to rich spoken language.

📖🎧We love audiobooks and read alouds as ways to introduce and expand vocabulary. Providing students with background knowledge prior to reading a given text is also critical.

🎥For example, if we were to read a book about sloths, I might show a quick video clip to help build students' schema.

🙌🏻While it is difficult to build a student's oral language without a language-rich environment from the home setting, it is not impossible!

🔑Furthermore, as Lyn Stone points out, these are the children that need us most!

❤️What questions do you have on this topic? We'd love to hear from you! Please like, share and save this post for later!

Here's our post on Closed Syllable Exceptions.

👉🏻Before students learn about a closed syllable exception, they first must understand what a closed syllable is.

💻To learn about how to teach the closed syllable, we have a blog post on that as well!

⭐️A closed syllable exception is a syllable that contains one vowel, followed by consonants.

👉🏻However, rather than the expected short vowel sound, the closed syllable exception has a long vowel sound.

⭐️We teach the following closed syllable exceptons: ild, ind, old, olt, ost...and recently, we've been including -oll (as in roll, poll, toll).

🧰Explicitly teaching closed syllable exceptions provides students with more "tools for their toolbox" when encountering new words.

💻To learn more about HOW we teach this concept, check out our blog post.

🔗 Comment POST and we’ll DM you a link to our Closed Syllable and Closed Syllable Exception posts.

We all know that developing phonemic awareness skills is a critically important prerequisite to reading.

⭐️The Alphabetic Principle is another crucial element of reading success.

⭐️Simply put, the alphabetic principle is the understanding that letters and letter groupings represent the sounds of spoken language.

📚In order to read, students must know that letters represent sounds and when blended together, these sounds become words.

🤔While this may seem obvious to us, it is not always the case for children who are not yet readers.

👉🏻We explicitly teach students WHY we’re learning the alphabet.

💻If you're interested in learning more about this concept, check out our full blog!

🔗In the post, we link to our FREE Letter Name and Sound Assesment so you can identify students' current understandings.

👇🏻Comment ABC and we’ll DM you the link to the post & freebie.

❤️Please like and save this post for future reference!

We know that change can be difficult and when you’ve done something for a while, it’s hard to give it up.

🤷🏻‍♀️Maybe that *thing* didn’t even negatively impact all students, so what’s the harm, right?

🚭Consider this. We USED to think that it was perfectly okay for pregnant women to drink alcohol and/or smoke ci******es.

👉🏻THEN, science evolved, studies were done and it was found that smoking and drinking do, in fact, produce negative side effects for the baby.

👉🏻Did it impact EVERY baby born??? No, but why take the risk?

👉🏻I know this sounds dramatic, but it’s true. If teaching something that has been disproven and is even found to be damaging to students, why take the risk?

👉🏻Even further, if science has concluded that more effective strategies exist (that are harmful to none and beneficial to all) why wouldn’t we implement them?

❤️Please like and share this post! Drop us a an emoji in the comments if you agree!

We love a chance to be festive! Halloween is a perfect example! But Wendy and I have always struggled in the sense that you want to be festive, but not "waste" time with gimmicky activities.

🤗If you want to reinforce the concept of TTQA and teach it explicitly, this product is perfect for you. We have an ENTIRE bundle full of oral activities, games and explicit lessons, but wanted to also share our Halloween version.

🎃Our kids love it AND it's a great way to promote oral language.

☕️The best part? It's cheaper than a cup of coffee.....the price is $2 through the end of October, but will most likely increase after this season.

🔗If you'd like the link, leave us a 🎃 in the comments and we'll DM you the link!

We also have Halloween decodable readers & festive Halloween PA activities. 🎃🎃🎃

❤️Please be sure to follow us on TpT and share this post with a teacher bestie!

Today we're taking a look at DIBELS 8 Maze subtest which is a measure of reading comprehension.

🤨Full disclosure, this is definitely not our FAVORITE measure as there are pros and cons .

🧠As we all know, comprehension is very difficult to measure because there are so many factors that must be considered.

⭐️That said, this measure is quick and can be administered whole group.

⭐️It is also standardized and does provide a data point in comprehension which is a critical component of literacy.

👉🏻The administration guide states, "Maze has now been informed by research that shows consistently that maze measures tend to assess low-level comprehension (e.g., January & Ardoin, 2012; Shanahan,Kamil, & Tobin, 1982)".

🤨Having given this measure over the years, we're not thrilled by the results it yields.

🤔However, in speaking with colleagues in an effort to 'like it more', we can appreciate that it does provide information on the student's abilty to monitor understanding of a grade-level passage. There are also ways to analyze it.

❓For example, is the student accurate in the beginning and then progress decreases as time goes on?

❓How soon does an error occur?

❓How far did the student get in the passage?

🙌🏻It is also a score that is calculated as part of the 'DIBELS Composite' score which can highlight a student's potential risk for dyslexia.

🤗We'd love to hear from you! Our official review: meh 😒.

❤️Please like this post and share your thoughts on Maze...we want to LOVE it.

🙌🏻This is a quote from Margaret Rawson, past president of the International Dyslexia Association (formerly National Orton Society) and it resonates with us deeply.

➡️The differences are personal. Whether the dyslexia is diagnosed or undiagnosed, we know that it affects individuals differently and need to be aware of the various warning signs.

➡️The diagnosis is clinical. While the laws vary by state, the label of Dyslexia must always be made by qualified personnel.

➡️The treatment is educational. While there is no cure, Dyslexia can be managed and supported with appropriate instructional practices.

➡️The understanding is scientific. While the science of reading and Dyslexia is constantly evolving and improving, we already know HOW to remediate.

🔑We must use this knowledge to inform our instruction and help as many individuals as possible.

❤️Please like and share this post!!!

🍎Consonant Blends are two or more consonants that are next to each other that each make their own sound.

🛠Explicitly teaching consonant blends provides students with more "tools for their toolbox" when encountering new words.

💻To learn more about HOW to teach this concept, check out our blog post.

🔗 if you'd like us to DM you the link to the blog, comment BLENDS!

❤️Like, share and save this post for future reference!

As the science of reading evolves, and we learn more about dyslexia and how people learn to read, common myths about dyslexia fall by the wayside.

🧠Dyslexia is a common and widely misunderstood learning disability that affects millions of individuals worldwide.

🚫It’s crucial to dispel the myths surrounding dyslexia to promote better understanding, support, and inclusivity for those who live with it. In this blog post, we will debunk seven common myths about dyslexia to shed light on this neurological condition.

💻This post is packed with info.

🔗If you'd like us to DM you the direct link, just comment BLOG.

❤️Please be sure to like, share and save this post!

We're highlighting another DIBELS 8 Subtest: Word Reading Fluency. In this measure, students read as many real words (both phonetically regular and iregular) within 60 seconds.

😫If you're anything like me, you might be cringing at the idea of assessing kinders at the beginning of the year with this subtest.

🙌🏻But never fear, friends, there are discontinue rules (cited in the post) that makes this assessment quick and easy even for the students who can't read any of the words.

👉🏻Including this measure is important because it provides a contrast—we can quantify a student's ability to read real words and compare this data directly with the NWF subtest which measures one's ability to readily apply phonics rules.

👉🏻Often times, we will find students who are able to read the "real" words, but unable to decode the nonsense words.

👉🏻This suggests that the student has memorized a number of the real words.

🤔However, decoding skills aren't secure enough to apply to unknown words. The solution for this particular student?

🤗Teach phonics explicitly!

❤️Please like, share and save this post if you found it helpful!