What literacy trends are in and out for the year ahead? Read below to find out.
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Phonemic awareness in isolation. Doing oral-only drills without connecting sounds to letters. |
Phonemic awareness with print. Connecting sounds to letters immediately for better retention. |
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The “Wait and See” approach. Delaying help when a child struggles. |
Early screening and immediate action. Identifying risk early and intervening before gaps develop. |
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Three-cueing / MSV. Teaching kids to guess words based on pictures or context. |
Structured literacy / decoding. Teaching kids to sound out words explicitly. |
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Oversimplifying the Science of Reading as “just phonics.” Ignoring the other strands of the reading rope. |
Integrated literacy instruction. Weaving together phonics, vocabulary, and background knowledge. |
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Writing as a separate skill. Teaching grammar or writing completely apart from what students read. |
Writing to learn. Teaching writing structures that reinforce what students are reading. |
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Skill-and-drill is distinct from text. Spending all class time on worksheets with no actual reading. |
More reading time. Applying skills by reading connected text and building knowledge. |
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Subjective observation. Thinking, “I feel like they are getting it.” |
Data-driven instruction. Using concrete data to decide what to teach next. |
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Viewing reading struggles in isolation. Treating only the reading deficit. |
Looking at the whole student. Recognizing comorbid conditions like ADHD or anxiety alongside dyslexia. |
What’s always in? Effective phonics instruction. Download our free ultimate guide to phonics here!
