Understanding how sentences work is a reading skill, not just a writing skill, researchers tell us. When students understand how sentences are built, they read better. So, argues Patty McGee, grammar instruction is in fact reading instruction, and we should treat it that way.
Across classrooms, it is increasingly common to see students skim instead of read, search instead of think, and move quickly through text without following how ideas connect. This is not simply a motivation issue. It’s a cognitive one. Veteran educator Holly Durham has a cure.
Well-planned schoolwide reads, paired with author visits, have the power to strengthen community, support belonging, and create shared experiences that extend beyond a single event. Kasey Short describes her school’s process and offers some tips for others who want to try it.
Children’s books offer a much-needed escape from our digital culture. Centering on British author Katherine Rundell, Elaine Griffin looks into how young readers not only find fantasy, magic, and mischief but also discover the building blocks of character, curiosity, and courage.
Once Harry Potter ruled the reading realm. Students lined up to devour each new physical 300+ page title. Then came the tech shift. The instant gratification of video games, apps and texting. The “it’s too long for kids” narrative. Kathie Palmieri has a plan to turn the clock back.
Educators can build children’s love of listening to stories and improve students’ reading skills by transforming teacher read-alouds into an instructional tool, writes literacy leader Laura Robb. Here she demonstrates how “think-alouds” make visible what good readers do.
Fall is Kasey Short’s favorite time to update her classroom library and create a list of new MG and YA books for our visitors to consider. This year’s choices explore themes that resonate with adolescent readers, including new series titles and books with diverse perspectives.
Students who struggle with academic reading can benefit from “a compass of sorts” to help them navigate texts. To accomplish this, educator Ron Klemp developed a four-step quickwrite protocol that’s been “extremely effective” in boosting their engagement and understanding.
Articles / Artificial Intelligence / Reading
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/13/2025 · Last modified 07/15/2025
Fiction that explores AI through characters that are robots or humans who interact with AI can spark discussions about the future and engage readers with stories grounded in real ethical and scientific questions. ELA teacher Kasey Short shares titles and ideas for discussion.
We want students to achieve in class and on tests, but we also want them to know how to use reading skills to enjoy reading. Reading aloud provides students with opportunities to experience success through thinking alongside their teachers and peers, writes Jennifer Sniadecki.
