Kata Solow

Executive Director @goyenfoundation

[Kata Solow @KataSolow]

This was a real joy to write!! Thanks to the @shankerinst for the opportunity to explore all of my favorite things in a single piece...

Teacher Voice ✔️
Reading curriculum ✔️
Community organizing ✔️

[Albert Shanker Institute @shankerinst]

New post by guest author @KataSolow from @goyenfoundation: Comprehensive Reading Curricula and Teacher Expertise: We Don’t Have to Choose.

This truly is a gem and a must read. 🙌🏻 🎯

https://t.co/570OxlcZTm

[Rod @rodjnaquin]

Kindergarten teacher Anjanette McNeely shows how to help young kids become better readers through partner work. Two students are paired: the stronger reader reads a passage first while their partner listens, then the weaker reader reads the same passage. This lets struggling readers hear how it should sound before their turn. When mistakes happen, both students use a simple "Ask, Then Tell" method to fix errors together. The main idea: kids need more time actually reading full stories, not just practicing individual words.
https://t.co/0kRmKWslDy

[Laura Stam @StamStam193]

Apply to join this amazing lineup of presenters!

[Science of Reading Classroom @SoRclassroom]

Sign up for updates about the conference here: https://t.co/EQYSK9dHN3

[Rod @rodjnaquin]

Teachers Anjanette McNeely & Holly Price say nonsense words like "vap" were meant to test reading skills, not practice them. Having kids practice fake words wastes time and hides real problems. Instead, teach kids to smoothly blend sounds together (like "mmmaaap" instead of "m-a-p") using real words. This helps them actually learn to read instead of just memorizing.
https://t.co/L8WRce44cy

[Josh McCabe @JoshuaTMcCabe]

This man is why I’m proud to be from Massachusetts. 🥰

[Science of Reading Classroom @SoRclassroom]

This is such an important blog from Elana! And I also think it's a fascinating example of how assessment drives (and interferes with) instruction.

DIBELS doesn't measure ORF in K, and this means there's very little incentive for K teachers to work on fluency or help students move beyond sounding out every word letter by letter....or even expect students to read much connected text at all.

🧵

[Jonathan Berk @berkie1]

On its third attempt tonight, Marblehead Town Meeting approved an “MBTA Communities–compliant” district largely centered on the 125-year-old Tedesco Country Club, meeting 3A requirements on paper while all but assuring no new housing would be built.

This comment says it all.

[Rod @rodjnaquin]

Stephane Bolton shares how she adapted Reader's Theater for 1st grade using Little Red Riding Hood scripts. Students rehearsed independently, with partners, and in casts, giving feedback via a fluency rubric throughout. After performing, they reflected on recordings. While her advanced readers aren't typical for 1st grade, the structured approach shows fluency building comprehension in early elementary.
https://t.co/wxVnB8RXxl

[Anjanette McNeely @AnjanetteMcNee2]

Connected phonation is one of my favorite best bet strategies. Modeling it and gently insisting students use it has strengthened their ability to blend sounds and read words accurately. See the article in the comments for kindergarten and first grade examples and videos.

[Laura Stam @StamStam193]

This is maybe my favorite Gene podcast! Elana's work is amazing. She exemplifies what it takes to be a great teacher -- to never be satisfied with the status quo and to not be afraid to try something different if what you have isn't working.

[Science of Reading Classroom @SoRclassroom]

97% of students at Elana's school qualify for free/reduced lunch. Over 80% of 1st graders are at or above benchmark for the SECOND year in a row.

How did they do it? This article is a MUST read.

[Science of Reading Classroom @SoRclassroom]

Look at the growth Elana and these intervention students made with just 25 (?!) minutes/day of instruction!

This is the kind of growth that happens when a brilliant educator like Elana uses a carefully designed program like the Word Mapping Project (creaated by @smorrisey).

[Anjanette McNeely @AnjanetteMcNee2]

Check out the Teaching That Succeeds Symposium. Don’t get me wrong—I love learning from researchers and literacy experts, but a space for teachers to share what works in the classroom with other teachers is sorely needed.https://t.co/IsMWoFbmjV

[Kata Solow @KataSolow]

This is EXACTLY how my husband and I chose a last name for our daughter (she has my last name and husband's last name is her middle name).

If/when we have a second child, s/he will have my husband's last name, and my last name as a middle name.

No one cares. Zero admin issues.

[Chris Blattman @cblatts]

We had the opposite experience:
1. My wife kept her last name.
2. When we had her firstborn daughter, my wife suggested she take her last name. I thought that was fine.
3. When we had my son, he took my last name because why not?
4. No idea what these administrative challenges are, but we never encountered them.
5. My only worry was that maybe it would be harder to take kids across international borders by myself, so my daughter has my last name as a middle name and my son has my wife's last name as a middle name. Because who cares about middle names?
6. Literally no one at a school, airport, or wherever has ever made this an issue, let alone even ask the question why the kids have different last names. And at least a dozen countries. It has literally never come up.

[Sean Morrisey @smorrisey]

It's official. The Word Mapping Project website is up, and the curriculum is now available for purchase. A big thank you to everyone who supported me during this process. Let's do right by kids.

https://t.co/2DSOadhO8i

[Karen Vaites @karenvaites]

One of these programs was developed (in part) by one of the most-followed, most-quoted literacy leaders in America, and it’s one of the most expensive on the market (even though it comes with no chapter books).

The other was developed by a top-tier fifth grade teacher on his nights and weekends, and it’s the best-priced thing in town.

Guess which is which?

[Caitlin Lucas @kinderwithMrsL]

“If you are tired from teaching reading well, you may be doing it right.”

Doing the right thing is often harder and lonelier. Running and returning to the classroom reminded me of that.

New 💭✍️

https://t.co/prkK3sRHhk

[Adam Jentleson @AJentleson]

Oh give me a break. Schatz is trying to actually pass a bill that would lower housing costs. Do we care about actually helping people or not?

[Karen Vaites @karenvaites]

Recently, @NateJoseph19 published a meta-analysis on reading comprehension.

Almost immediately, it was misinterpreted.

@oliviajune82 unpacks numerous flaws that should command attention, especially in light of the reactions to the paper.

Nate is an educator. He has surely worked overtime on his writing and his new curricular materials. He deserves all-due-flowers for his work.

His role as a teacher has caused many to pull punches about the new meta-analysis. I get it, all too well. I cheered it myself.

But this paper is published in a journal, and any shortcomings warrant a response. I deeply appreciate Olivia's *incredibly detailed* response, and think you will, too.

To Nate's credit, he puts a spotlight on the diminishing returns of strategy instruction. We seldom see this obvious conclusion from the research base, outside @DTWillingham @natwexler's valiant efforts.

Also to Nate's credit, he spent years going down a rabbit hole to inform the field.

Olivia has, too. I hope you will read her writeup, because the broader research base compels attention.

@DavidDidau @vivramak @turing_hamster @C_Hendrick @tombennett71

[Anjanette McNeely @AnjanetteMcNee2]

"Structured literacy is about structuring our instruction so that students can actually access the complex things we want them to be able to do."- Sara Quinn