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In classrooms everywhere, teachers face a tough decision: when students struggle with a text, should we lower the Lexile level to “meet them where they are”? On the surface, it feels compassionate. But lowering the text too far risks keeping students from the very experiences that build reading strength. ✅ The challenge is not whether students can access grade-level texts. The challenge is how we help them get there.

Writing helps students retain knowledge and make stronger connections across content. In this first post of a 4-part series, I’m breaking down five powerful reasons why daily writing belongs in every K–12 classroom—from reading to music. Whether you're just getting started or ready to take content area writing to the next level, these benefits will show you why it matters.

For multilingual families, language loss is a real and pressing concern. How do we create a bridge between languages instead of a barrier? 

As educators, we must ask ourselves: How can we appropriately integrate AI into our classrooms?

When writing is the specific learning standard, the goal remains clear: students must demonstrate their ability to write.

If you want readers to better understand the text they are reading, vocabulary should be part of your plan. 

Language is a complex system of intricate connections between words and meanings. It is complex code used to communicate. Morphology is the foundation and framework of English spelling (Hegland, 2021) and contributes to the overall sense of a word. Morphology is the study of morphemes. Morphemes are the smallest meaningful unit of language (Hegland, 2021). Morphemes can be standalone words, like “book”, called free morphemes, or they can be parts of words like prefixes, suffi

Writing skills refer to the ability to express thoughts, ideas, and information effectively through written language. This includes the ability to organize ideas, use proper grammar and punctuation, and tailor writing to a specific audience or purpose. Read this article to learn more on how to improve students’ writing skills.

Most education professionals, regardless of whether they are on a year-round or a school-year contract, think of the summer as a time to rejuvenate and do all the things there wasn’t time for during the school year. For me, that means time to catch up on reading, personal and professional. It also means I have a little time to think about what I’m reading and explore some new things. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut and just keep reading the same author or type of book over

A proficient reader has thousands of words in their sight vocabulary. Words that we automatically recognize at a speed so fast we don’t even realize it is happening. Words that we can’t stop ourselves from reading. Words that are permanently stuck in our brains. How does this happen? How do words move from needing to be decoded, to permanent and instant recognition? It’s all about orthographic mapping.

Fluency is essential for skilled reading. It is often referred to as the bridge between decoding and comprehension. I’d add that it’s also a huge factor when it comes to joyful reading. No one wants to do things that are laborious or feel like a chore. So how can we engage students in fluency building activities that are fun?

August means only one thing, back to school. Teachers gear up by organizing, decorating, and creating a physical space that supports learning. This is the time when teachers decide which materials to pull out and what to have at the ready for instruction. If you are a new teacher or new to the primary grades you might be asking, what should I make sure I have.  

The routines and rituals that put books in our hands are important. They aren’t just crucial for personal growth, they are critical lessons that we need to teach students of all ages. Students need us to be transparent about when, why, and how we keep reading a priority.   Leading a reading life means purposefully thinking about reading and how to fit it into our daily comings and goings. Our lives are busy and there is a lot of competition for each moment. Readers navigate

The ability to read for understanding, information, comprehension, and context are the important aspects of the Reading Test in the Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT Assessment. The SAT Assessment’s Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section is divided into two tests. The Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test.