T/TAC's Top Picks
- Dyslexia: A Deeper Understanding Training Modules - This online learning experience provides information around topics related to dyslexia: Virginia Legislation Related to Dyslexia and Reading, Definition of Dyslexia within the Administrative Code of Virginia and the International Dyslexia Association, Prevalence and Characteristics of Dyslexia, Assessment and Progress Monitoring, Instruction Examining the Five Components of Reading, Social Emotional Impact of Dyslexia, Accommodations and Assistive Technology
- A Deeper Dive Into Literacy - 30 minute videos explore a literacy concept through its research base or the why, and then learn the how, instruction, necessary to put it into practice. We, as educators, need to understand the why of research and then the how to operationalize the research within our teaching practice.
- Inferential Reading Comprehension focuses on several research-based strategies teachers can employ to develop students’ inferential comprehension skills. Specific subskills necessary for making inferences, suggestions for instruction and student practice, and lesson ideas are provided. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
- A "Word" About Vocabulary addresses important decisions teachers make as they plan for intensive, meaningful vocabulary instruction for struggling readers. General guidelines for teaching vocabulary and a variety of instructional strategies are offered for teachers at all grade levels and across content areas. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
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Core Progress for Reading Skills List describes how students typically advance in their development of reading skills from pre-K through 12th grade. The progression of skill acquisition is discussed in terms of five domains: word knowledge and skills, comprehension strategies and constructing meaning, analyzing literary text, understanding author’s craft, and analyzing argument and evaluating text. This resource may be used to determine what reading skills students have mastered and what skills they are ready to learn. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
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Instructional Sequence for Teaching the Structure of the English Language is ideal for elementary, middle, or high school teachers seeking a better understanding of the suggested instructional sequence for teaching reading to developing readers or older students with identified reading or language disabilities. Each of the five components of reading (Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension) as outlined in the National Reading Panel’s report are addressed. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
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English and Reading Resources for Teachers provides access to a wide variety of English and reading instructional materials from early literacy videos to online writing and vocabulary resources. There are specific K-3 resources, instructional interventions successful with low-achieving students, reading resources from the Center on Instruction, and interactive reading and language resources for K-12 students. Grade Level: Kindergarten through high school.
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High School English and Reading Instructional Resources includes modules that provide comprehensive instructional guides/lessons to teach or reteach the essential skills and knowledge required for high school English. The modules include released SOL passages, provide links to other instructional passages, and have embedded all the supplemental materials required for each lesson. Additionally, there are links to online writing resources and writing practice items and guides. These resources include explicit teaching strategies and provide detailed lesson plans, video links, SOL progression charts, graphic organizers, and resource links to assist teachers at all grade levels in the instruction of the writing process. Embedded links provide additional resources and access to professional organizations such as the Virginia Association of Teachers of English (VATE), the International Literacy Association (ILA), and the National Council of the Teachers of English (NCTE). Grade Level: High school.
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Reading Rockets includes research-based strategies for teaching reading and helping struggling readers develop critical reading skills. The site also includes instructional videos, links to PBS shows that support reading instruction, and children’s books and authors. Author interviews, author studies, themed book lists, nonfiction books, suggestions for choosing and using children’s books in the classroom, and instructional activities accompany several of the titles. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
- IRIS Center includes 15 modules related to reading, literacy and language arts. Modules address assessment practices, evidence-based strategies, intensive instruction, and other areas related to reading and writing. These comprehensive modules offer content through text, video, and interactive activities. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
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T/TAC W&M Newsletter Articles
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Helping Students Identify Unfamiliar Words provides a variety of current instructional practices to help students identify meanings of unfamiliar words through explicit, systematic, and sequential instruction. Grade Level: Elementary through middle school.
- Multisensory Structured Language Education of Basic Language Skills: Another Way to Teach Word Study is geared for reading, special education, and speech and language teachers as well as parents seeking to learn more about effective, research-based instructional strategies for decoding and spelling. The authors highlight the Multisensory Structured Language Education (MSLE) approach, its versatility, and its many applications. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
- Instructional Sequence for Teaching the Structure of the English Language is ideal for elementary, middle, or high school teachers seeking a better understanding of the suggested instructional sequence for teaching reading to developing readers or older students with identified reading or language disabilities. Each of the five components of reading (Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension) as outlined in the National Reading Panel’s report are addressed. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
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Information Packets
T/TAC W&M Considerations Packets
- Adolescent Literacy: Evidence-Based Instructional Strategies - Why, What, and Howpresents recommendations for improving adolescent literacy from leaders in the field of educational research and provides links to specific classroom activities to strengthen students’ reading and comprehension skills. Grade Level: Middle and high school.
- Inferential Reading Comprehension focuses on several research-based strategies teachers can employ to develop students’ inferential comprehension skills. Specific subskills necessary for making inferences, suggestions for instruction and student practice, and lesson ideas are provided. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
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A "Word" About Vocabularyaddresses important decisions teachers make as they plan for intensive, meaningful vocabulary instruction for struggling readers. General guidelines for teaching vocabulary and a variety of instructional strategies are offered for teachers at all grade levels and across content areas. Grade Level: Elementary through high school.
Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Resources
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Instructional Interventions That Have Proven to be Successful with Low Achieving Students provides a detailed overview of several reading and mathematics instructional interventions shown to increase student achievement. Links for numerous resources and information about a variety of interventions are offered in an easy-to-read format. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
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Core Progress for Reading Skills List describes how students typically advance in their development of reading skills from pre-K through 12th grade. The progression of skill acquisition is discussed in terms of five domains: word knowledge and skills, comprehension strategies and constructing meaning, analyzing literary text, understanding author’s craft, and analyzing argument and evaluating text. This resource may be used to determine what reading skills students have mastered and what skills they are ready to learn. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
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Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Instructional Resources
- Teaching Homophones includes the Enhanced Scope and Sequence lesson on homophones. This resource includes a materials list, list of homophones, bingo cards, and word cards. The lesson provides step-by-step instructions for implementation with students and includes ideas for differentiation. This is a comprehensive lesson that your students will enjoy. Grade Level: 3rd, 4th, 5th grades.
- Project Graduation Reading Skills is comprised of 35 explicit instructional modules that cover the end-of-course reading SOL for students in the eleventh grade. Each module consists of a lesson with instructional materials, worksheets, and links to released SOL passages and/or grade level text for practice. This resource is useful for high school teachers working with students with below-average reading comprehension skills. Grade Level: High school.
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Training Modules
T/TAC Online Webshops:
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- Dyslexia: A Deeper Understanding Training Modules -This online learning experience provides information around topics related to dyslexia: Virginia Legislation Related to Dyslexia and Reading, Definition of Dyslexia within the Administrative Code of Virginia and the International Dyslexia Association, Prevalence and Characteristics of Dyslexia, Assessment and Progress Monitoring, Instruction Examining the Five Components of Reading, Social Emotional Impact of Dyslexia, Accommodations and Assistive Technology
- Phonemic Awareness: A powerful predictor of reading success defines phonemic awareness and provides an overview of the development of phonemic awareness in young children and beginning readers. There are also links to phonemic awareness assessment tools and information on phonemic awareness instruction for students with reading or language disabilities of all ages. Grade Level: Pre-school through elementary.
- The Challenge of Reading Comprehension includes strategies used by successful readers, assessments to evaluate students’ comprehension skills, techniques for progress monitoring, and anticipation guides for student use. Grade Level: Kindergarten through high school.
- A Deeper Dive Into Literacy - 30 minute videos explore a literacy concept through its research base or the why, and then learn the how, instruction, necessary to put it into practice. We, as educators, need to understand the why of research and then the how to operationalize the research within our teaching practice.
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Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Video Resources
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Elementary Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Strategies includes a set of video vignettes in which Virginia teachers from grades 3-5 demonstrate various vocabulary and reading comprehension strategies. These strategies can be adapted for a variety of classroom settings and across grade levels. Included among the strategies are Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review (SQ3R); Think-Pair-Share; Question-Answer Relationships (QAR); and Two-column notes. Grade Level: Elementary.
- Comprehensive Literacy Webinar Series focuses on best practices in literacy instruction and resources available to school divisions. Through the diverse expertise of our partners and presenters, the Virginia Department of Education's goal is to offer timely, research-based, and instructionally sound sessions to Virginia educators.
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Sites with Multiple Resources/Links
T/TAC W&M Website Resources
Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Website Resources
- English and Reading Resources for Teachers provides access to a wide variety of English and reading instructional materials from early literacy videos to online writing and vocabulary resources. There are specific K-3 resources, instructional interventions successful with low-achieving students, reading resources from the Center on Instruction, and interactive reading and language resources for K-12 students. Grade Level: Kindergarten through high school.
- Elementary School English and Reading Instructional Resources includes guidance for the development, implementation, maintenance, and refinement of schoolwide reading programs; samples of reading achievement records; and videos on reading comprehension and vocabulary strategies (including early literacy). Links to resources from the Florida Center for Reading Research and the Center on Instruction are also provided. Grade Level: Kindergarten through 5th grade.
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Middle School English and Reading Instructional Resources includes reading and writing modules in support of Project Graduation, Creating Active Readers (CAR), Interactive Reading, and Wordsalive Vocabulary Acquisition. Additionally, there are short vocabulary videos demonstrating vocabulary skills or lessons, and resources for incorporating technology into reading lessons. Grade Level: Middle school.
- High School English and Reading Instructional Resources includes modules that provide comprehensive instructional guides/lessons to teach or reteach the essential skills and knowledge required for high school English. The modules include released SOL passages, provide links to other instructional passages, and have embedded all the supplemental materials required for each lesson. Additionally, there are links to online writing resources and writing practice items and guides. These resources include explicit teaching strategies and provide detailed lesson plans, video links, SOL progression charts, graphic organizers, and resource links to assist teachers at all grade levels in the instruction of the writing process. Embedded links provide additional resources and access to professional organizations such as the Virginia Association of Teachers of English (VATE), the International Literacy Association (ILA), and the National Council of the Teachers of English (NCTE). Grade Level: High school.
Other Site Resources
- Big Ideas in Beginning Reading (Institute for the Development of Education Achievement, University of Oregon) provides a comprehensive, easy-to-read description of the research and theories behind each of “the big five” ideas in beginning reading instruction—Phonemic Awareness, Alphabetic Principal, Accuracy and Fluency with Text, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The website includes succinct definitions of the terms, describes how to assess these components, and provides information on how to teach them. This is a comprehensive and useful resource for pre-school, primary, and elementary teachers of reading as well as for parents and teachers of students with language and reading disabilities. Grade Level: Pre-school through 5th grade.
- Literactive "Teaching Children to Read" provides free on-line reading material for pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade students. The program is comprised of levelled guided readers, phonics activities, and supplemental reading materials for developing children's reading skills. It is a helpful supplemental resource for teachers and parents to use with students in school or at home. The site does require that you register. Grade Level: Pre-school through 1st grade.
- Florida Center for Reading Research
- VPK Learning Center Activities for Pre-K and Kindergarten provides activities for use in pre-K and Kindergarten classrooms. The Alphabet Knowledge section includes lessons and support materials to teach and reinforce letter naming, letter sounds, and emergent writing skills. The Phonological Awareness section includes links to a variety of lessons and activities. The Language and Vocabulary section has a large number of language-rich activities for developing readers. Grade Level: Pre-school through Kindergarten.
- Reading Rockets includes research-based strategies for teaching reading and helping struggling readers develop critical reading skills. The site also includes instructional videos, links to PBS shows that support reading instruction, and children’s books and authors. Author interviews, author studies, themed book lists, nonfiction books, suggestions for choosing and using children’s books in the classroom, and instructional activities accompany several of the titles. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
- IRIS Center includes 15 modules related to reading, literacy and language arts. Modules address assessment practices, evidence-based strategies, intensive instruction, and other areas related to reading and writing. These comprehensive modules offer content through text, video, and interactive activities. Grade Level: Pre-school through high school.
- What the Research Tells Us About Effective Reading Instruction The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) website reviews existing research on different commercial and noncommercial programs, products, and practices in education. The aim of WWC is to provide educators and parents with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions around “What works in education?” Grade level: Pre-school through high school.
- What Works Clearinghouse the effectiveness of early phonological awareness training on preschool age children in which various exercises focused on identifying, segmenting, deleting, rhyming, and blending spoken words was found to have a significant impact on later reading skills acquisition. Grade level: Pre-school.
- What Works Clearinghouse Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade via the use of explicit reading comprehension strategies. The article describes explicit instruction in the classroom including activating prior knowledge, questioning, visualizing, monitoring, clarifying, and ‘Fix Up’ strategies taught to mastery to students and used consistently to monitor independent reading comprehension. The link includes a 5:27 minute video of a teacher demonstrating the instruction. Grade level: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
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