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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.

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Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from
Jim & Donna Barksdale, the AFT, the Emily Hall Tremaine
Foundation
, and three anonymous donors.

AFT Education Healthcare Public Services

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, 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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Try Our Taxonomy

Real Teachers in Real Classrooms

Reading Universe highlights great teaching from across the country, as in this video featuring DeAngela Huggins and her first graders at Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta. They're working on segmenting words into phonemes.

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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?

Get the Facts
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Timely Talks from Experts

Take an in-depth look at critical reading topics. Watch reading specialist Margaret Goldberg explain the science of how children learn to read. No registration required. Watch Julie Washington, Ph.D., offering guidance about teaching children who speak African American English at home. Coming soon: Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ph.D., on teaching English learners.

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You Asked ... Experts Answered!

How long should students work with decodable text?

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Dr. Louisa Moats, author of the LETRS professional development for teachers discusses the importance of reinforcing sound-letter correspondences with decodables and how to know when it's time to move on.

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Building on decades of experience ...

Reading Universe is a service of WETA/Reading Rockets, the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.

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