What is the Science of Reading?

You may have heard the buzz around the “Science of Reading” lately. New and trendy movements in education take off almost daily, but this one is worth paying attention to. For many years, even the most proactive and conscientious teachers have taught reading using a “Balanced Literacy” approach; that is, using a combination of explicit phonics instruction, and more whole language strategies like using context to “guess” words. But collective research from the last few decades has overwhelmingly shown that those whole language strategies don’t build strong readers able to decode complex texts. This extensive research has been coined the “Science of Reading.” As the name implies, we are all learning that teaching reading is a science, not an art. Students need explicit, systematic language instruction to “crack the code” and make sense of written language.

What’s the Difference Between Science of Reading and Phonics?

Phonics is part of the science of reading. Phonics instruction refers to the specific skills students learn about letter sounds and symbols. The science of reading is more complex than just phonics. It includes everything about how kids learn to read, which does start with systematic and explicit phonics instruction, but it doesn’t end there. In addition to teaching phonics, it also includes vocabulary acquisition, morphology skills (manipulating words), and comprehension strategies.

Science of Reading in the Classroom

So what should a reading lesson look like knowing what we now know? A typical reading lesson used to consist of a specific skill being modeled, perhaps through a read-aloud. Then students would try it out themselves through independent practice. It still works this way, but some of the skills and strategies promoted by Science of Reading research differ. Teachers might still model skills through a read-aloud, and students might still have time to practice those skills independently. But instead of teaching students strategies like using a picture and the first letter of a word to figure out what it says, students learn how to solve the word based on how it’s written. And instead of isolated comprehension strategies like sequencing events or identifying cause and effect, students practice mindful reading, and teachers show them what it looks like.

Shifting Your Practice

It can be difficult to acknowledge that something you’ve been doing for years isn’t best for students. But everyone who teaches reading is in the same boat! We are all constantly learning and growing. Making the shift toward a more structured approach to teaching reading just means that, like the research itself, your teaching practice is evolving.

A classroom that truly embodies the science of reading principles starts with phonics instruction early. It empowers students by helping them crack the reading code by actually learning how to decode words instead of using pictures, sentence structure, or context to guess at them. It also teaches comprehension not through isolated skill practice, but through interacting with text and being metacognitive about one’s reading process. This means students are encouraged to think about what and how they are thinking while they read. 

So given what we know about the science of reading, what makes a good reader? First, it takes knowledge of phonics rules and how to apply them. Next, it takes meaningful vocabulary acquisition. And finally, it takes actively and metacognitively engaging with text in order to make sense of it.

A Summer of Books

Social media sites have revolutionized the way we communicate. Zoom has now radically altered meetings and even classroom time. In this week’s post, we take it back to one of the transformative technological innovations of all time: the book. As we head into summer, we’re reposting some of our top recommendations —just the greatest hits — for students in middle and high school, so that your students can take up this time-tested tool for escape and education. 

Middle School

The Seeds of America trilogy, by Laurie Halse Anderson is a captivating work of historical fiction. Chains, the first book in the series, follows Isabel and Curzon, as they navigate Revolutionary war-era New York City, struggling for their freedom and the freedom of an emerging nation. 

Beloved children’s author Jerry Spinelli has a couple of tried and true classics for the middle school age group: Star Girl and Maniac Magee. Both are deceptively profound stories of kids amongst themselves, with important lessons for any reader. 

And for students interested in a well-told tale full of adventure, fantasy, and clever plot, we recommend the Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer (which has just been the subject of a so-so film adaptation), and the Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan. Both offer the chance to dig into an exciting world that extends across multiple books, to keep kids reading all summer long. 

High School

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a classic of dystopian literature, and a great read; if you’re looking for more bite-sized and engaging stories, Bradbury has written a treasure trove of them, many of which are set in summertime. Check out classic collections like Dandelion Wine, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles. 

Everyone should read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This tale of a family adapting to survive as they migrate west to California has important resonance with our current moment. And like Bradbury, Steinbeck was a prolific author with several works worth digging into: East of Eden, The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, and more. 

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin is perfect for the high schooler interested in fantasy, who is ready to graduate from the usual middle school fodder -- this book is often cited as Le Guin’s greatest, and her work remains groundbreaking and relevant today. And if your student falls in love with Le Guin, there’s a wide range of texts to choose from to follow.

Reading Benchmarks

This year, it has been especially hard for many parents to gauge how their children are doing in school. Strict social distancing rules have meant that there are no classroom visits to see your child in action, and many students haven’t stepped foot in a classroom themselves in over a year. You may be wondering just how your child is doing compared to how she or he should be doing at a given age and grade level.

One of the most important skills for students to keep up with is reading. Hopefully your child reads at home, and/or you read to or with them. Still, it can be hard to know where their skills lie. Here is a grade-level breakdown of skills students are expected to master by the end of each grade. These skills will vary from state to state, and even from school to school, so use this chart as a guideline as opposed to a rule.

Grade Level Skills and Benchmarks in Reading

Don't Panic

It’s important to keep in mind that virtually every child this year has experienced some sort of academic backsliding. Of course, the degree of regression will vary greatly from student to student. So if your child’s progress has stalled this year, don’t panic. They are by no means alone, and they will get back on track. It just might take a little extra work and perseverance…plus a healthy mix of tough love and empathy on your part!

Learning to Evaluate Sources

Before the age of technology, conducting research was both less convenient and a lot more straight-forward. Students would have to go to a library, look through the catalog of books organized using the Dewey Decimal System, and then locate their book on one of hundreds of shelves. There was little room for unreliable sources. And with all of the information available to us today, there is no shortage of high-quality, reliable sources at our fingertips. But there’s also a lot of bias and misinformation. So students not only need to find sources, but they need to make sure they’re the right sources. How do we teach students which sources they can trust, and which they should skip? 

Start with Search Terms

Not all search terms are created equal! The words students choose when conducting an internet search make all the difference in their results. For example, if a student is looking for arguments on both sides of an issue, they should be careful not to include any adjectives in their search that could cause their results to skew one way or the other. Otherwise, one view will outweigh the other in their sources, and probably in their final product.

Discuss Media Bias

In order to evaluate sources for credibility, students first need to understand what reliability (and unreliability) means. “Media bias” is an important term to teach students in introducing the concept of reliability of sources. So many news websites and independent journalists write with media bias, whether they realize it or not. Have students explore media bias by comparing two or more reports of the same event, and analyzing how they differ. Any differences in perspective, events that are or are not included in the story, or facts that are left out all point to media bias.

This doesn’t mean students should avoid using sources just because there is media bias present. It just means that students need to evaluate the source and the facts it presents with a critical eye, and always ask whether there is more to a story than is being presented.

Teach Healthy Skepticism

In general, students should always view online sources with a healthy level of skepticism. This doesn’t mean they need to distrust everything they come across. But they should get in the habit of always questioning the reliability and credibility of what they read. Here are some great questions to model with, and to teach students to ask themselves as they are internet browsing:

• What was the author’s purpose in writing this, and what is their background? Do I know that they have the expertise to write on this topic?

• What is the website’s purpose?

• How current is the information on this website?

• Is the information on this website backed up anywhere else?

Resources

CommonSense.org’s Digital Citizenship Curriculum for K-12 has some great lessons and activities to supplement students’ development of research skills, as well as lessons in how to interact with online content more generally.

This infographic, created by Richard Byrne and Canva, has some excellent strategies for executing effective google searches.

We’re Here to Help!

It’s important for students to engage in consistent practice over the summer in order to maintain the skills they’ve worked so hard to develop. OurSmarter Summers program is just the ticket! We are offering general courses in Elementary grades, where students will use critical thinking skills in reading, writing, and math in a high-engagement, high-rigor virtual setting. For Middle and High Schoolers, we are offering next-level writing courses to help build your child’s confidence as a writer (and learn to evaluate sources)! Visit ourwebsite to learn more about our Smarter Summers program or to register your child.

Stages of Writing Development

As with any big skill, children learn how to write in stages. Some parents are surprised when they hear that their kindergartner’s incomprehensible scribbles are age appropriate. Others may balk at a teacher’s suggestion that their high schooler’s writing, which seems eloquent, is underdeveloped. The evolution of a writer’s development is complex. But students generally follow the same progression of milestones. Here are the major ones to look for in each grade band.

Early Stages of Writing Development

In pre-school and kindergarten, students are learning how to hold a pencil correctly. While this may come naturally to some kids, many need to be given very clear instructions on proper grip. This is especially true if fine motor skills are weak. 

It’s important to note that while encoding (spelling) words based on the sounds they make is a regular part of any phonics curriculum, writing skills are much more complex. Students begin researching as young as kindergarten, but their research will look very different than that of a high schooler! When kindergartners research, it usually entails choosing a topic and using illustrations to move their writing along. And many times, their ‘writing’ also consists largely of illustrations, usually accompanied by simple sentences, phrases, or individual words. 

Around first grade, students begin to use more “inventive spelling,” where their spelling is based on the sounds in words. While there will still be many errors, their spelling becomes more logical. They can construct simple sentences and group sentences together based on topic.

Upper Elementary

As students become more fluent in spelling and sentence construction, the focus gradually shifts away from the structure of words and sentences, to that of paragraphs and whole pieces of writing. Once students arrive at fourth and fifth grade, they should start crafting sentences that fit together in the context of a larger paragraph or story. They begin to incorporate an overall structure to their writing, and they should be able to follow that structure through to the end of their written work.

Middle School

In middle school, writing demands become more formal, as students learn to use sources in their writing and how to cite those sources. They begin to learn how to connect the citations to their claim or argument, both accurately and eloquently. Using domain-specific vocabulary in their writing, students are expected to be able to produce writing pieces on more specific topics.

High School

At the secondary level, students begin reading and writing with a more critical eye. They improve their writing by reading the works of others, and can identify strengths in their own writing, as well as areas for improvement. They begin completing writing assignments that are more original, and are better able to synthesize information from a variety of sources in order to make an argument that is original, or that explores a topic in a new way or from a new perspective. These are the skills that students will continue to refine throughout the rest of their academic careers— and beyond, if they continue writing.

We’re Here to Help!

It’s important for students to engage in consistent practice over the summer in order to maintain the skills they’ve worked so hard to develop. Our Smarter Summers program is just the ticket! We are offering general courses in Elementary grades, where students will use critical thinking skills in reading, writing, and math in a high-engagement, high-rigor virtual setting. For Middle and High Schoolers, we are offering next-level writing courses to help build your child’s confidence as a writer! Visit our website to learn more about our Smarter Summers program or to register your child.

Spellcheck Recommendations

These days, just about everyone relies on spellcheck. With the technology to have all of our errors fixed for us, we save so much time. We no longer have to worry about whether our spelling is correct, or whether we have commas in the right place. But just how reliable are spellcheck programs?

The Benefits of Spellcheck

There’s no denying that spellcheck has significantly eased the lives of all kinds of writers. From e-mails to college papers, spellcheck programs catch many spelling and grammar errors that human eyes often miss. And with more sophisticated software coming out (think Grammarly), spellcheck is becoming even more accurate. Now, it can usually better predict the writer’s intention.

Use Spellcheck as a Tool, Not a Crutch

Despite its undeniable benefits, spellcheck should never completely replace the process of editing and revising. Occasionally, an author writes a sentence that is so sophisticated (or sloppy!) that spellcheck inevitably misses the mark. This is why it is important to give your writing one final read before publishing, sending, or turning it in.

When to Turn Spellcheck Off Altogether

For some writers, spellcheck actually does more harm than good. For example, it doesn’t always necessarily correct mistakes in the right way. Spellcheck software has gotten pretty good at predicting the intentions of most misspelled words. However, students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or other language disabilities that make it difficult to approximate correct spelling, tend not to follow typical spelling patterns in their writing. This causes spellcheck to “misunderstand“ what the writer meant. In fact, according to literacy expert Louisa Moats, research has shown that for students who have writing or language disabilities, spellcheck correctly identifies and fixes intended words about 53% of the time. This means there is about a 50/50 chance that spellcheck will fix the errors.  At best, this makes the writers’ final version even harder to edit and revise. At worst, it makes the writing completely incomprehensible. 

If a student does insist on using spellcheck, he should do so manually, without using auto-correct, so that the author can make sure what the computer is correcting is what he intends. The best intervention for these types of authors may be to not use spellcheck at all, but to revise and edit the old fashioned way. It’s much more time-consuming, but also provides a far greater learning opportunity than having a computer potentially create even more mistakes than there were to begin with.

The Bottom Line

Use spellcheck with caution. It can be a wonderfully helpful tool, but it can also become a significant detriment to those who struggle with approximating spelling.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning difference that affects between 5% and 17% of kids, and one they'll live with for life. And while many hear the term and think of letter reversals and difficulty reading, dyslexic minds have a host of meaningful strengths and challenges that are far more complex. That’s why we’re so excited to share Braintrust’s conversation with pediatric neuropsychologist Dr. Matt Pagirsky about common signs of dyslexia, and how best to support children who have this learning difference.

Key Takeaways

• Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child’s ability to read, spell, and use spoken language.

• It impacts 5% - 17% of children, making it one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.

• There are a range of signs and symptoms of dyslexia that are commonly seen at different stages of development.

  • In Preschool

    • Trouble learning common nursery rhymes

    • Difficulty remembering the names of letters in the alphabet and/or the letters in his or her name

    • Struggles recognizing rhyming words or sounds

  • In Kindergarten and 1st Grade

    • Difficulty mastering the relationship between letters and sounds

    • Trouble with decoding words, which is to say using phonics to match sounds to the letters in words in order to read

    • Struggles learning and recognizing sight words

    • Increasing resistance to reading

  • In 2nd and 3rd Grade

    • Continued struggles with phonics and decoding

    • Difficulty reading with accuracy, fluency, and expression

    • Anxiety around reading aloud in class

    • A lack of attention to punctuation when reading

    • A tendency to guess or skip words rather than decode

    • Inconsistent and inaccurate spelling

  • In 4th Grade and beyond

    • Difficulty reading fluently

    • Increasing struggles around homework due to the volume or complexity of reading material

    • Skipping over or guessing words while reading

    • Inconsistent and inaccurate spelling

• While children with dyslexia often struggle with reading and writing, they tend to have a unique set of strengths that often include …

  • Remembering stories

  • Seeing the big picture or getting the “gist” of things

  • Strong reasoning abilities, especially with visual information

  • Critical thinking and creative problem solving

  • A high degree of empathy

• With the right interventions, children with dyslexia can thrive in school and beyond. These supports should include …

  • Reading instruction from a teacher or tutor trained in Orton-Gillingham to build decoding and spelling skills. If you need help with this, our Braintrust tutors are here for you!

  • An IEP at school that includes appropriate services and accommodations such as access to audiobooks, a slower pace of verbal instruction, and extended time for testing and assignments.

  • Lots of support and encouragement at home! This should include playing offline and online phonics games, and spending time reading aloud to your child to inspire a love of stories and build vocabulary.

If you need any support along the way, we are here for you! If your child is struggling to learn how to read, our tutors are just a click away. And if you think your child might have dyslexia, it’s best to have your child evaluated by a pediatric neuropsychologist like Dr. Matt Pagirsky.

The (Legal) Powers of Parents

First things first: Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in the Smarten Up family! We may be a day late, but one day is not nearly enough to celebrate the transformative power of mothers. That power (and responsibility) is also written into law—this week’s blog post outlines the legal rights of parents in making choices for their children’s education. 

The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) exists to give students with disabilities access to a free and appropriate public education. The federal law includes legal rights (referred to as “safeguards”) that families should understand as they apply to their child’s education. Here are some of the specific rights parents have under this federal law, organized into four major categories:

Participation

Under IDEA, parents have the right to fully participate in all decision-making about their child’s educational program. It is, of course, wise to consider input from all school professionals. However, all decisions about a child’s education need to be signed off on by the parent. This includes every step from evaluation, to diagnosis, to the child’s placement in an educational setting. Teachers and other school professionals will, of course, give their recommendations, but the parent has final say.

Information

Parents have the right to access all of their child’s records at any time. They may also request any necessary corrections be made so that all information on file with the school is accurate and complete. Any information which needs updating, or which the parent feels is misleading in any way must be updated by the school in a reasonable time frame.

Confidentiality

In most cases, parents have the right to choose who has access to their child’s educational records. Schools may not disclose information about an individual child without the parent’s consent, with a few exceptions. This information includes personal information, like their name and address, as well as academic and medical information like disability diagnosis. Parents also have the right to know how their child’s school shares, stores, and disposes of students’ records. Specific policies regarding the handling of records vary from state to state.

Consent

As stated above, the parent must give consent for any formal supports to be put in place by the school. This includes big changes like the child’s classroom placement, as well as small changes, like writing “preferential seating” into their IEP. Nothing can be formally implemented without the parents’ permission!

School’s Rights to Keep in Mind

While the law under IDEA rightfully gives parents lots of control over their child’s education, the school has some rights to keep in mind as well.

• Schools may hold IEP meetings without a parent present if significant effort has been made to reach a parent and there has been no response.

• Parent consent only refers to formal decisions that affect the child’s instruction and/or setting. Teachers may (and should!) implement strategies for your child on a more informal basis, which you may or may not be aware of. These are regular parts of a teacher’s instructional agenda and do not usually require parent involvement.

• In very extreme cases, when the safety or health of the child or someone else is in jeopardy, schools have the right to disclose information to medical professionals in the event that the parent cannot be reached.

If you have any concerns about the supports or services your child is receiving in school, talk to a teacher. A positive and communicative relationship between parent and teacher is one of the most important pillars to a student’s success!

Research Fundamentals

Many students struggle with knowing how to begin the research process. They might have a topic, but don’t know where to begin finding the information that will help them create a product to demonstrate their learning. While there isn’t exactly a formula for conducting research, there are a number of strategies that can help students get started, and make sure they are on the right track throughout the research process.

Where to Start

When students begin a research project, they often hit a wall before they’ve even really gotten started. Lots of teachers are picky about what sources students use (rightfully so...students need to learn to choose credible sources!). Because of this, sources that are often the most convenient, like Wikipedia, are often not allowed. Wikipedia gets a bad rap among scholars. It is a resource for the people, by the people. This makes it both an amazing place to read up on a plethora of topics that may be otherwise difficult to learn about, while also unreliable in a scholarly context. Anyone can add or edit information on Wikipedia, and while it is monitored for accuracy, facts often go unchecked. This is why Wikipedia is an excellent place to start, but not a great place to end.

When teachers ban Wikipedia from a students’ research options, it doesn’t mean they can’t use it as a starting point. It just means that the teacher doesn’t want students citing Wikipedia as a resource. But it’s a great place to find some direction for a given topic. Reading (or skimming) the Wikipedia page on a topic can help students identify their main ideas and generate questions that will help further their research. Students should always make sure that any information they are using in their research exists somewhere other than Wikipedia to ensure accuracy of information. Some of these more legitimate sources can even be found in Wikipedia’s footnotes!

The First Step: Ask Questions

A common obstacle students run into is simply not knowing how to begin research into their topic. Some may start with a broad google search of their topic, and maybe another term that’s related. But these types of searches are usually extremely vague and will either overwhelm the researcher at best, or take them off course from their chosen topic at worst. A great way to avoid this common pitfall is to start by turning the topic into a question. Questions lead to answers, whereas general topics don’t have quite as clear-cut a path. 

Create an Outline

Writing a research paper or completing a project is always easier when the student has created an outline. Outlines provide the skeleton of the project. Once they've completed their outline, the details, transitions, and final touches just need to be filled in. The structure that an outline provides is often the hardest part for students, since it requires a tremendous amount of organization and planning. This is where those questions from above can come in handy!

Use Search Terms Wisely

The amount of information available to us online is virtually limitless, and constantly growing. Do a quick search of “World War I” or “Albert Einstein” and you’ll receive hundreds of sources, all of which are likely to give you something relevant. The key is refining those search terms so that the results are specific enough. But be too specific with your terms and you might miss the mark, or not get anything at all. This is where the last step comes in handy. Once students have created their outline, they can use the subtopics they came up with to refine their search. So instead of a broad search of “World War I,” one might try “major battles of world war I.” And instead of “Albert Einstein,” one might search for “Einstein quantum theory” in order to refine the results.

Avoid Plagiarism

The most difficult part of research papers for many students is avoiding plagiarism. We have two options when using other sources to conduct and present our own research. We can either quote a source directly or we can paraphrase by putting it into our own words. Either way, students must cite the source if the information came directly from it. The only exception is for information that is “common knowledge,” which means it's something everyone in the field agrees on. This type of information is usually readily available in several different sources, and does not need to be cited.

Conclusion

While research can be hard, especially when students are first getting used to the process, there are strategies that can make it a little less daunting. Asking questions, evaluating sources, and using smart search terms can make an overwhelming process more manageable, and sometimes, even fun.

Using Sentence Starters

For many students who struggle with writing, the issue is with what to write, and not how to write. These students understand the mechanics of writing; when given structured tasks that don’t require original content but just mechanics, they do fine. So for students who have trouble generating original writing—whether it’s a whole essay, a paragraph, or a single sentence—how do we help them? What can we do to get their writing juices flowing without putting words in their mouth? Here’s where sentence frames, starters, and stems can work wonders.

What are Sentence Frames and Starters?

Sentence frames and starters both provide students with an entry point to writing a sentence they would otherwise be struggling with. A sentence frame is a template in which some of the words are left out for the student to complete. These sentences can be missing just a few words, or most of the words, depending on how much guidance the student needs. A sentence starter is simply a word or series of words students should use to start a sentence.

Critics of these methods argue that if we give students supports like this, they’ll become overly reliant on them. They'll risk never being able to actually produce their own original writing. This is only true if we aren’t helping students use them the right way. Sentence frames should be used as long as students need them, but not indefinitely. Once students become more comfortable with the way a certain type of sentence should be structured, we can modify the frames our students are working with so that they are writing more and more of the sentence themselves. Eventually, they are only receiving one or two words of the frame, and then none at all. For many students, this can be a much more effective approach to mastering sentence structure than through mere open-ended practice.

Who They Benefit

These tools can benefit virtually all students. Unless a student is completely proficient in all writing purposes, they will benefit from this type of scaffold at one point or another. Even for students who have mastered grade-level sentence and paragraph structure, there are always more nuanced and intricate ways of crafting writing that those students can begin to learn through sentence frames.

When to Use Them

Sentence frames and starters can be useful anytime a student needs to follow a formula in their writing. This can be for anything from a research paper to an argument essay. They can be used in various ways at every grade level. For example, when first introducing the structure of a five-paragraph essay, sentence starters can come in handy as a way to introduce students to this new type of writing structure. These might include starters like “For one thing…” or “On the other hand…” to give students an idea of where their next idea should go. Once students are comfortable with this structure, they can practice writing for these purposes without the sentence frames, and can eventually experiment with structuring sentences in more original ways.

Conclusion

Remember that in order for sentence frames and starters to be purposeful, they must evolve as students’ skills develop. If a student is receiving the same level of writing template for an entire year or more, then something about how they are using it or the template itself needs to be reevaluated. Students should become more independent as they use sentence frames and starters, and should not continue to need the same level of scaffolding from one writing task to the next. If students are using the correct tools to address their writing needs, then eventually, they will become confident, self-sufficient writers.