October 2024

Focus on Vocabulary, Dyslexia and DLD, Civics, Diverse Books and Much More!

In this issue: In Focus: Vocabulary / Struggling Readers / Literacy at Home / Children’s Books & Authors / Events & News

In Focus: Vocabulary

Vocabulary plays a key role in learning to read and in reading comprehension. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find featured articles on effective vocabulary instruction, classroom strategies, content area vocabulary, and more. Browse our complete library of vocabulary resources for more articles, research briefs, parent tips, and video clips.

Taking Delight in Words: Using Oral Language to Build Young Children’s Vocabularies

Discover some of the ways that teachers in pre-k to grade 3 can enhance the vocabulary development of young children. This article by Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, and Linda Kucan focuses on teaching words from read-alouds and recommends activities that help young children make sense of new words.

Related article: Choosing Words to Teach

Classroom Strategy: Semantic Gradients

Semantic gradients are a great way to deepen children’s nuanced understanding of related words. Go inside Cathy Doyle’s second grade classroom to observe how a recent class read-aloud, A Seed Is Sleepy, becomes the springboard for a lively discussion about words that describe the size of things (massive vs. gigantic and tiny vs. microscopic). See more vocabulary strategies.

Classroom Strategy: Word Maps

A word map is a visual organizer that promotes vocabulary development. Most word map organizers engage students in developing a definition, synonyms, antonyms, and a picture for a given vocabulary word or concept.

Vocabulary Word Journal Template (from our sister site, Reading Universe)

6 Goals of an Ideal Vocabulary Curriculum

In this blog post, literacy expert Tim Shanahan says that effective vocabulary instruction should focus on six strands: robust word banks, morphemes, context, how to use a dictionary, word choice, and word consciousness. Learn more about each strand, including the importance of weaving all six together.

Related posts from Shanahan:

• 5 Things Every Teacher Should Know about Vocabulary Instruction
• Vocabulary’s Three-Legged Stool: The Place for Dictionary Skills in Instruction
• How I Teach Students to Use Context in Vocabulary Learning

Content Area Vocabulary

Vocabulary lies at the heart of content learning. Literacy experts Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey share these evidence-based strategies to support word learning in the content areas: give students time to read widely, intentionally select words worthy of instruction, model their own word solving strategies, and provide students with opportunities to engage in collaborative conversations.

Watch: Our video interview with Dr. Nancy Frey where she talks about literacy in the content areas.

Refresh Your Skills!

Teachers, try our free self-paced learning module on teaching vocabulary. Dive deep into word learning strategies, indirect vocabulary instruction, choosing words to teach, academic vocabulary, and more. Then test your knowledge with a pre- and post-test.

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): What Everyone Needs to Know

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have difficulty with language whether they are speaking, listening, reading, or writing. It’s a common disability — in a typical classroom of 30 students, two will have DLD. But it is often invisible and goes undiagnosed. Learn more about DLD, how it affects reading, and how to support kids at home and in the classroom.

#DLDDAY 2024: Friday, October 18: The 2024 DLD Day theme is ‘Speak up for DLD.’

Struggling Readers

Does It Really Matter How Kids Are Taught, if Eventually They Learn How to Read?

“I used to think that it didn’t matter how I learned to read, the fact that I’d become literate was the most important thing. But I came to realize that the way I was taught (or rather, not taught) to read words was affecting me even as an adult.”

Read the latest (and very personal) blog post from Margaret Goldberg, co-founder of the Right to Read Project, literacy coach in a large urban district in California, and former classroom teacher and curriculum developer.

Why Is Reading So Hard?

Discover 9 reasons why kids might have trouble learning to read, portraits of struggling readers, how to target the problem, and how to help a struggling reader with self-esteem issues.

The Dyslexia Paradox

Here’s the paradox — the big gap between the optimal window for reading intervention and a diagnosis of dyslexia. Better screening and early intervention for kids at risk can help eliminate a “waiting to fail” approach. Learn more in this video interview with dyslexia expert Nadine Gaab.

Literacy at Home

"Our Democracy" — Activity Guide All About Our Government and Civic Engagement

It’s election season! The “Our Democracy” activity guide gives kids a chance to learn more about what their local, state, and federal governments do, how elections work, and simple ways to get involved as engaged citizens in their own communities. The guide combines hands-on activities with great fiction, poetry, and picture book biographies — inspiring kids to read about our democracy, citizenship, and social responsibility. (From our out-of-school time learning site, Start with a Book)

Calling All Thinkers and Tinkerers!

Do you know any creative kids who love to tinker, solve problems, build things (and take things apart ...)? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about inventions and inventors. (From Start with a Book)

Related: Think Like an Inventor (parent tips in English and Spanish)

How do I help my child learn new words while we read aloud?

Reading aloud is a great way for children to learn new words. In this video, literacy expert Sandra Wilborn suggests that parents pause during the read aloud to elaborate on a new word by giving a simple definition, connecting the word to something your child knows, and using it in a sentence. Reinforce the learning by using that new word at home in the weeks ahead.

Find more helpful tips in our Reading and Writing SOS video series. (Created in partnership with the National Education Association)

Vocabulary Activities to Try with Your Kids

Building a large “word bank” is one of the best ways to help young children with comprehension. From the earliest years, children use knowledge about words to help them make sense of the world and as they get older, that word bank helps them make sense of what they’re reading. (From Reading 101: A Guide for Parents)

• My pre-k child
• My kindergartener
• My first grader
• My second grader

Children’s Books & Authors

Children’s Authors: Talking About Learning and Attention Issues

In these video interviews, children’s authors and illustrators who have learning and attention issues share their personal stories. You'll also hear from many popular children’s authors who talk about books that can be engaging for kids who struggle with reading. Hear from Dav Pilkey, Carmen Agra Deedy, Patricia Polacco, Jerry Pinkney, Katherine Applegate, Henry Winkler, Raina Telgemeier, and many more.

Books About Kids Who Find Reading Hard

For some kids, reading isn’t easy. They might have dyslexia, a learning disability, or just learn differently. Because it helps to know you’re not alone, we’ve gathered together a list of recommended children’s books for kids that feature characters of different strengths and abilities who’ve found they don’t read like everyone else.

Related booklist: Celebrating Kids Who Learn Differently

Read Across America: Reading Diverse Books All Year Long!

Each month, Read Across America features three books — one each for young, middle grade, and YA readers — that explore a topic related to diversity and inclusion. Each title includes activity suggestions, questions for discussion or reflective writing, related resources, and more titles to try. Check out the 2024-25 calendar to see what’s in store! October’s theme is “Know Your Power.”

And take a look at book clubs as a great way to inspire year-round participation in Read Across America.

Related resources from Reading Rockets: The Diverse Bookshelf

Events & News

NAEYC Conference
November 6-9 | Anaheim, CA

National Summer Learning Summit
November 11-13 | Washington, DC

Time in Text: Differentiating Instruction for Intermediate Students Struggling With Word Recognition
February 27, 2025 (webinar)
International Literacy Association
Featured speaker: Heidi Anne Mesmer

Kids in Poverty Often Lag in Reading. In St. Louis, They’re Even Further Behind
The 74

Talking to Students About Their Learning Differences: A Guide for Teachers
Education Week (subscription)

Strategies That Help Multilingual Students Learn Content and English at the Same Time
Edutopia

Lighthouse Parents Have More Confident Kids
The Atlantic

Jason Reynolds Awarded MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’
Maryland Today

Young Readers Need Books Featuring Mental Health Struggles: ’Story Is What Saved Me’
People

How Parents Impact Their Kids’ Reading Skills
Psychology Today

5 Ways to Support Neurodivergent Students
Edutopia

Inside the whimsical world of celebrated children’s author Sandra Boynton
PBS NewsHour