Emily Hanford @ehanford

1. Hard to Read: How American schools fail kids with dyslexia

 LISTEN

Released Sept. 2017 – 

There are proven ways to help people with dyslexia learn to read, and a federal law that's supposed to ensure schools provide kids with help. But across the country, public schools are denying children proper treatment and often failing to identify them with dyslexia in the first place.

2. Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read?

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Released Sept. 2018 – 

Scientific research has shown how children learn to read and how they should be taught. But many educators don't know the science and, in some cases, actively resist it. As a result, millions of kids are being set up to fail.

3. At a Loss for Words: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers

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Released August 2019 – 

For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't know there's anything wrong with it.

4. What the Words Say

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Released August 2020 –

A false assumption about what it takes to be a skilled reader has created deep inequalities among U.S. children, putting many on a difficult path in life.

For more information, Science of Reading: The Podcast, by Amplify released an episode on their podcast series. Take a listen here. 

Season 1 – Episode 3:  A Conversation with Emily Hanford

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Emily Hanford @ehanford

Want to discuss Sold a Story?
This discussion guide, created by a teacher, invites educators, parents, community members and kids to have a conversation about the podcast.

All episodes can be found here: Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong Podcast

Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction & Assessment, PreK-6, Second Edition 

Edited by Martha C. Hougen, Ph. D., & Susan M. Smartt, Ph.D. 

Understand the science of reading and how to implement evidence-based instruction to increase the reading and writing achievement of pre-K–6 students, including those at risk for reading difficulties. Fully revised and updated, this core text covers the research base for structured literacy instruction and practical guidance on the essential components of literacy instruction.
Want to learn more about the new edition? Check out the following resources: 

•    A handy resource that shows you what’s been added and updated in the new edition 
•    A book excerpt that includes the full table of contents 
•    A slide deck that provides a comprehensive overview of the new edition 

For more information and to purchase this book: https://products.brookespublishing.com/Fundamentals-of-Literacy-Instruction-Assessment-Pre-K-6-Second-Edition-P1184.aspx

Fundamentals of Literacy Instruction and Assessment, Grades 6-12

by Martha C. Hougen, Ph. D.

Prepare educators to strengthen the literacy skills of students in Grades 6–12 with this adolescent literacy textbook, based on current research, standards, and recommended instructional practices. This expertly organized volume covers all the fundamentals of how reading and writing skills develop in older students and how to teach literacy within key academic content areas: language arts, math, science, and history. This text includes classroom examples, helpful objectives and summaries, and sample lesson plans.

For more information and to purchase this book: Brookes Publishing
 

Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching 

by Anita L. Archer and Charles A. Hughes

This book lays the foundation for what is explicit instruction, why it is important, for whom it is essential, and how to provide it. This is ideal for PreK-6th grade educators.

For more information and to purchase this book: https://explicitinstruction.org/
 

Effective Instruction for Middle School Students with Reading Difficulties

by Carolyn Denton, Ph.D., Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D., Jade Wexler, Ph.D., Deanna Bryan, and Deborah Reed, Ph.D.

This book arms language arts teachers with the lessons, strategies, and foundational knowledge they need to resolve older students' reading difficulties and increase their chances for academic success. Ideal for use with struggling readers in Grades 6-8 (though these strategies would benefit older students with reading difficulties as well), this book clearly lays out the fundamentals of effective teaching for adolescents with reading difficulties.

For more information and to purchase this book: https://products.brookespublishing.com/Effective-Instruction-for-Middle-School-Students-with-Reading-Difficulties-P620.aspx

Overcoming Dyslexia

by Sally Shaywitz, M.D. and Jonathan Shaywitz, M.D.

One in five American children has trouble reading. But they are not stupid or lazy. In Overcoming Dyslexia, Dr. Sally Shaywitz, codirector of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention and a leader in the new research into how the brain works, offers the latest information about reading problems and proven, practical techniques that, along with hard work and the right help, can enable anyone to overcome them. This book gives the tools that parents and teachers need to help the dyslexic child, age by age, grade by grade, step by step. 

For more information and to purchase this book: Penguin Random House

The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text

by Nancy Lewis Hennessy (foreword by Louisa Cook Moats)

Comprehension is a primary ingredient of reading success—but most educators aren't taught how to deliver structured comprehension instruction in their classrooms. Meticulously researched and masterfully organized, this book offers a clear blueprint for understanding the complexities of reading comprehension and delivering high-quality, evidence-based instruction that helps students construct meaning from challenging texts.

Resources:

• Brooke's Publishing Resources
• The Reading League Pennyslvania Book Study
• AIM Institute Book Study

Structured Literacy: An Approach Grounded in the Science of Reading (International Dyslexia Association) 

Breaking the Code - Typical Literacy vs. Structured Literacy Infoguide [PDF]

Visit Nancy Young's website to download a PDF version of The Ladder of Reading and Nancy's helpful primer on "What is structured literacy?".

The Ladder of Reading and Writing shows that a structured literacy approach is essential for at least 50-65% of our students, whereas the remaining 40% are still advantaged by a structured literacy approach. Also, you can read more on Nancy's blog.

(Used with Nancy Young's permission)

Explicit instruction – Explicit (direct) instruction is systematic, direct, engaging, and success-oriented, and has been shown to promote achievement for all students.

• Leaves nothing to chance with clear teacher modeling
• Demonstrates, and opportunity for practice

Systematic instruction – Systematic instruction in reading is a plan of instruction (e.g. scope and sequence) that takes students through an explicit sequence of learning activities.

• Easiest concepts to the most complex

Cumulative instruction – Skills and concepts that have been previously taught are consistently reinforced and practiced over time, building on what has come before, as you introduce new concepts and skills.

Diagnostic instruction – Teacher is consistently monitoring the progress of their students so they can intervene appropriately

Multisensory instruction - Instruction that provides explicit, direct instruction in the decoding and spelling of the language. Multisensory learning enhances memory and learning of written language through simultaneous use of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic-tactile pathways. Links are consistently made between the language seen (visual) and heard (auditory), and symbols felt (kinesthetic-tactile) while learning to read and spell.

• Arizona State Literacy  Instruction Plan - 2024