Philosophy
-
Five Essential Steps to Comprehension
In a world full of information, understanding what you read is one of the most essential skills a person can have. Whether you’re enjoying a novel, perusing a news article, or tackling a technical manual, comprehension helps you grasp the meaning, connect to new ideas, and make informed decisions. So here are the five necessary Continue reading
-
Understanding the Difference Between Global and Local Inferences
Reading comprehension is more than just decoding words on a page—it involves actively making connections and drawing conclusions based on the text. One of the components of Scarborough’s Reading Rope is Verbal Reasoning or Inferential Thinking. Inferences are one of the most common things that ELA teachers focus on in our secondary instruction, at least Continue reading
-
Understanding Comprehension: A Key to Learning
What Does It Really Mean to Comprehend? To be completely honest, when I first started looking into how to help my older students comprehend, I don’t think I fully understood what it meant to comprehend. Read words.Understand what they say. The end. But it is actually way more complex than that. The amount of work Continue reading
-
Integrating Grammar with Literature: The Outsiders Guide
In order to fully comprehend any piece of literature, students need more than just an understanding of plot, characters, and themes—they must also have a solid grasp of grammar and syntax. Grammar is the foundation that allows students to analyze how sentences are structured, how ideas are connected, and how language works to create meaning. Continue reading
-
Enhance Reading Comprehension with Effective Grammar Lessons
Grammar instruction plays such a big role in improving reading comprehension! Grammar and syntax gives readers the tools to understand the structure and meaning of texts. At its core, grammar helps students grasp how words work together. GRAMMAR IS HOW we put words together to form coherent sentences, which is essential for decoding the meaning Continue reading
-
Utilizing Reading Diagnostic Data to Support Students’ Reading Progress
This post was originally posted on September 21, 2023 on my old blog. Reading is a fundamental skill that opens doors to almost everything else in life. For educators and parents, understanding a student’s reading level and progress is essential to provide effective support and ensure they reach their full potential. One valuable tool in Continue reading
-
What is your SoR Origin Story?
Do you know how many times I googled Science of Reading for Secondary, and in as many iterations as I could think of, before I found ANYTHING genuinely helpful? Have you done the same thing? Under any other circumstances, I would say that I’m just crazy but since I’ve had the same conversation with many Continue reading
-
Five Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary (and their unfortunate pitfalls)
This post was originally published on my first website on July 23, 2023 Is there an end all, be all approach to vocabulary instruction in the secondary ELA classroom? Here’s my take: Development of a robust vocabulary is fundamental to fostering strong communication skills and enhancing overall academic achievement. However, what is the best way Continue reading
