Teaching students to read is one of the most important things we do as educators.
Reading Universe can help. You'll find ready-to-use teaching strategies, in-classroom videos, interviews with teachers and reading experts, and quick, concrete answers to common questions about teaching reading and writing. And it's all free! We're glad you're here.
Teaching Step by Step
The Reading Universe Taxonomy is your interactive, step-by-step guide to teaching reading. It's designed for teachers, reading coaches, tutors, and caregivers — anyone who wants to help a child learn to read. Watch below to learn more — or dive right in and give it a try!
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[Music] If you teach reading, you know how rewarding it can be. But you've probably also found that in every class there will be students who really struggle with learning to read.
Reading Universe is here to help. With expert guidance we've developed a new framework to support educators everywhere. It's called the Reading Universe Taxonomy.
How does this free professional resource work? It's built upon the leading research on how we learn to read. We are born with the ability to learn oral language, but making sense of the written word doesn't come naturally; so we need to teach students that the letters on a page represent the sounds we all use to speak with each other.
The path to literacy is through word recognition. Children need to crack the alphabetic code using phonological awareness and phonics. They need to be able to hear that a spoken word like net is made up of separate sounds: /n/, /e/, /t/. That's phonological awareness. And they need to connect those sounds to the letters of the alphabet to see 'n', 'e', 't' and read net. That's phonics.
But being able to read words is just one part of the process. Students also need to understand what the words mean. That's called language comprehension. As children gain more knowledge of the world around them, they begin to recognize more of the words that they sound out. Then they can build on their knowledge through more reading. Only students who develop word recognition and language comprehension can achieve reading comprehension. It takes both to become a good reader.
Inside the Reading Universe Taxonomy you'll find everything you need to know about how to teach the reading skills your students need to master. Each literacy component is broken down into its many skills and processes. For each skill we show why it matters and how to teach it effectively, and we offer ideas for supporting students who need extra help. We don't just describe effective teaching, we show it with in-classroom video filmed in schools around the country.
Ongoing assessment is critical to effective teaching, so we provide guidance for determining what each student needs and how to tailor your instruction to meet those needs. Reading comprehension is not just one skill. It's the product of all the many skills that we teach our children.
We hope the Reading Universe Taxonomy will become your trusted go-to guide and that, together, we can give more children the chance to excel as readers and in their lives. This is Reading Universe.
Special Thanks
Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (opens in new window); the AFT (opens in new window); the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (opens in new window); and three anonymous donors.
Free New Courses
Check out ParaReading, our five-course series for paraprofessionals about how to teach reading.
Real Teachers in Real Classrooms
Reading Universe highlights great teaching from across the country, as in this video featuring teacher Marlene Gannaway and reading coach Carla Stanford as they help students decide which way to spell the /j/ sound at the ends of different words.
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Marlene Gannaway: All right, friends. So now we're going to move into dictation. You're going to pull out your binders. We're going to be risk takers today with dictation too. I'm going to try a new style.
Narrator: These second graders at Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta, Georgia are in the middle of a phonics lesson on how to spell the /j/ sound at the end of a word. Should it be '-dge', like in "budge" or '-ge' like in "stage"?
Marlene Gannaway: We're going straight to words today because you guys are so smart. We've already reviewed our sounds. You're going to draw a line straight down the middle.
Narrator: During the dictation section of the lesson. Teacher Marlene Gannaway and reading Coach Carla Stanford will guide students through this spelling decision. Some of them already have a pretty good handle on the rule.
Marlene Gannaway: Amelia, how will we know '-dge' or '-ge'?
Amelia: If it has a consonant before it, then you spell it '-ge'. And if it is right after a vowel, you spell it '-dge'.
Marlene Gannaway: What kind of vowel?
Amelia: Short.
Marlene Gannaway: Immediately after a short vowel in a one syllable word. When you hear the /j/ sound, you spell it '-dge'. Good job. If it's a long vowel sound, if it's a bossy R or if there's a blocker, then we're going to spell it 'ge'.
Narrator: For this exercise, Ms. Gannaway will give the students a word that ends in the /j/ sound. They'll need to decide if it's spelled '-dge' or '-ge', and then write it in the correct column on their paper. Ms. Stanford explains how they will think through their decision.
Carla Stanford: So when Ms. Gannaway gives you the word, you have to make a decision. This is a spelling decision you're making, so she's going to say the word, you're going to repeat it. You're going to tap it. When you get to that vowel you're going to think, "what decision do I need to make?" and then you're going to point to the one that you would choose and give us a thumbs up so we can check before you write.
Narrator: If a word has a short vowel sound immediately before the /j/ sound, like in badge or fudge, we use '-dge'. If the word has a long vowel sound, like in stage or a bossy R like in large, or a consonant blocker, like in bulge, then we use '-ge'.
Marlene Gannaway: The word is huge. Repeat.
Students: Huge.
Marlene Gannaway: Stop. Think. Point. Where are you going to spell it?
Carla Stanford: Do you guys need to tap this one together? Can we do it? Yeah. Yeah, let's do it.
Marlene Gannaway: For sure. For sure. All right, friends, elbows up, eyes up. Here we go. The word is huge. Repeat.
Students: Huge.
Together: /h/, /ū/, /j/.
Carla Stanford: Huge. What do you hear? What do you guys hear?
Students: Long vowel.
Carla Stanford: A long vowel sound. If we hear a long vowel sound, how are we going to spell the /j/ sound? Everyone.
Students: '-ge'.
Carla Stanford: Yes. Do you see what we had to do? We had to say the word. We had to tap and get to the vowel. We had to think about the vowel, and then we had to make our decision. That's a lot of work. You guys, that's amazing.
Marlene Gannaway: Next word. Ready, friends? The word is barge. Repeat.
Students: Barge.
Marlene Gannaway: Stop. Think. Tap carefully.
Together: /b/, /ar/, /j/.
Marlene Gannaway: Point. Where are you going to put it? Where are you going to put it? Piper, where do you think we're going to put it?
Piper: '-dge'.
Marlene Gannaway: '-dge'? The word is barge. Let's tap it together everybody. One more time.
Together: /b/, /ar/, j/.
Marlene Gannaway: /ar/ is the vowel sound. What are we going to do? Is that a short sound?
Piper: No.
Marlene Gannaway: What kind of sound is that? What vowel sound is that? /ar/. /ar/.
Piper: Bossy R.
Marlene Gannaway: It's a bossy R. So can we spell it '-dge'?
Piper: No.
Marlene Gannaway: Thank you for thinking through that with me. So where are we going to put it?
Piper: '-ge'.
Marlene Gannaway: '-ge', not '-dge'. Barge.
Narrator: By asking a quick, thoughtful question. Ms. Gannaway helped guide Piper to the rule they have been practicing, which is exactly what dictation is for.
Carla Stanford: It's one thing to know the '-dge' rule, but it's another thing to know when you can't use it. So part of a rule is knowing when to use it, but you guys are learning when you can't use it. That is really hard work. That was excellent thinking. Thank you for thinking out loud for us with that.
Marlene Gannaway: Ready for the next word? The word is … listen, carefully… cringe. Repeat.
Students: Cringe.
Marlene Gannaway: Tap it. Stop. Think. Tap. /k/, /r/, /ĭ/, /n/, j/.
Narrator: Cringe is a little tricky. It has a short vowel sound, but students will need to decide if that consonant /n/ sound changes things.
Carla Stanford: Can we talk through this one?
Marlene Gannaway: Yes.
Carla Stanford: This one is hard for us.
Marlene Gannaway: Yes. We can talk through this one.
Carla Stanford: Okay, everyone say cringe.
Students: Cringe.
Carla Stanford: Pretend like you're going to cringe. What does it look like when you cringe? So everyone repeat, say cringe.
Students: Cringe.
Carla Stanford: Tappers up. I want you to tap with me and I want to hear it.
Together: /k/, /r/, /ĭ/ ...
Carla Stanford: Wait, I heard a short vowel. Did you?
Students: Yes.
Together: /k/, /r/, /ĭ/ ... /n/ ...
[Ms. Stanford emphasizes /n/]
Carla Stanford: Everyone say famous blocker!
Students: Famous blocker!
Carla Stanford: Do you hear that /n/?
Students: Yes.
Carla Stanford: Immediately my brain is going "uh oh. Guess what I don't get to use."
Students: '-dge'
Carla Stanford: Uh uh. Because the blocker is there blocking. /r/, /ĭ/ ... /n/ [Ms. Stanford emphasizes /n/] ... /j/. How am I going to spell the /j/ at the end of cringe, everyone?
Students: '-ge'.
Carla Stanford: Thank you. Make sure you put it in the right space.
Marlene Gannaway: My word is pledge. Repeat.
Students: Pledge.
Marlene Gannaway: Stop. Think. Tap.
Together: /p/, /l/, /ĕ/, j/. /p/, /l/, /ĕ/, j/.
Marlene Gannaway: What kind of vowel sound did you hear? Point to where you're going to put it. You guys are getting more confident. You're writing it already. Good job. Reagan, why are we going to put it there?
Reagan: Because it has a short vowel.
Marlene Gannaway: Because it has a short vowel.
Carla Stanford: So it had to be the short vowel, and then immediately we have to hear the /j/. That's what you guys heard, right?
Narrator: Making the correct spelling choice is great, but knowing why you made that choice, that's when the learning sticks.
Marlene Gannaway: Excellent
Narrator: Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim and Donna Barksdale, the Hastings/Quillen Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the AFT, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and anonymous donors. Special thanks to Burgess-Peterson Academy and Atlanta Public Schools. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUTeaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA, Washington D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.
The Big Picture
Children across the country are struggling with reading. What can research tell us about how children learn to read? What can we all do to help more students succeed?
New! Timely Talk with Joan Sedita on Teaching Writing
If you'd like to know what it really takes to teach children to write well, this video is for you. Dr. Joan Sedita explains the Writing Rope and discusses the skills students need to become confident and skilled writers.
Reading Skill Explainers
You Asked ... Experts Answered!
When students mispronounce a word, when and how should I address that?
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Hi, I'm Antonio Fierro. Let's listen to this next question. "When students mispronounce a word, when and how should I address that?" Address that mispronunciation, right? Well, that's a tricky question, and you have to think about it from a different standpoint.
Let's think about where your English learner might be as far as language acquisition. I've spoken about the fact that many of our newcomers who have never heard English before or have pronounced any English words, are going to be in that silent period or that pre-production stage of language acquisition. Now, if they're slowly coming out of this stage or this phase and going into the early emergent phase, then be careful because I want them to be using words, right? I want them to experiment with those words. I want them to use vocabulary — and congratulations, because the student is feeling safe. You have provided a safe environment, a welcoming environment that says, "oh, okay, I can go ahead and try out words, or try out my new words that I am learning."
So take that. Go ahead and listen to that. Yes, applaud that. Make a big thing out of it, that there are, they are actually now expressing themselves. If you feel that the student is okay, won't be perhaps disappointed or take it personally, then you can recast. So for example, if the student says, "I chase it, the cat yesterday." I would just come back and say, "Oh, Antonio, you chased the cat yesterday, right?" And again, if this child is feeling self-confident, feels good about it, about himself or herself, then you can go and say, "Hey, why don't you say that with me? All right, I chased the cat yesterday. That's wonderful." All right, so we can go ahead. I say it, I want them to go ahead and hear it. And then what about them trying it along with you as well? Now you can go the next step and say, "Okay, now you try it by yourself.
All right, you do it. You say it." Now, for the student who is already in a speech emergence phase, for example, 3000 plus words, then I would absolutely do the recast. I want them to go ahead and say the word with me. "I chased the cat yesterday." Right? We'll say it together, let them say it, and hey, better yet, you know what, why don't you say that sentence to your neighbor, to your peer, to your friend, and have them try that as well.
So really it's about professional judgment. Be careful and be mindful and meet your student at the level that they are currently at. Okay? Have fun with it.
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Hi, I'm Antonio Fierro. Let's listen to this next question. "When students mispronounce a word, when and how should I address that?" Address that mispronunciation, right? Well, that's a tricky question, and you have to think about it from a different standpoint.
Let's think about where your English learner might be as far as language acquisition. I've spoken about the fact that many of our newcomers who have never heard English before or have pronounced any English words, are going to be in that silent period or that pre-production stage of language acquisition. Now, if they're slowly coming out of this stage or this phase and going into the early emergent phase, then be careful because I want them to be using words, right? I want them to experiment with those words. I want them to use vocabulary — and congratulations, because the student is feeling safe. You have provided a safe environment, a welcoming environment that says, "oh, okay, I can go ahead and try out words, or try out my new words that I am learning."
So take that. Go ahead and listen to that. Yes, applaud that. Make a big thing out of it, that there are, they are actually now expressing themselves. If you feel that the student is okay, won't be perhaps disappointed or take it personally, then you can recast. So for example, if the student says, "I chase it, the cat yesterday." I would just come back and say, "Oh, Antonio, you chased the cat yesterday, right?" And again, if this child is feeling self-confident, feels good about it, about himself or herself, then you can go and say, "Hey, why don't you say that with me? All right, I chased the cat yesterday. That's wonderful." All right, so we can go ahead. I say it, I want them to go ahead and hear it. And then what about them trying it along with you as well? Now you can go the next step and say, "Okay, now you try it by yourself.
All right, you do it. You say it." Now, for the student who is already in a speech emergence phase, for example, 3000 plus words, then I would absolutely do the recast. I want them to go ahead and say the word with me. "I chased the cat yesterday." Right? We'll say it together, let them say it, and hey, better yet, you know what, why don't you say that sentence to your neighbor, to your peer, to your friend, and have them try that as well.
So really it's about professional judgment. Be careful and be mindful and meet your student at the level that they are currently at. Okay? Have fun with it.
Antonio Fierro, an ESL/Bilingual specialist and distinguished reading teacher, provides a thoughtful video response to this important question. (2:43)
Building on decades of experience ...
Reading Universe is a service of WETA/Reading Rockets, the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.
Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (opens in new window); the AFT (opens in new window); the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (opens in new window); and three anonymous donors.