This infographic dissects some reading instructional practices to highlight whether or not they are aligned with the science of reading and determine if they have the green light to use with all learners. This infographic will help teachers build a repertoire of direct and systematic instructional practices that will allow our students to access text effectively and efficiently.

The science of reading has established that explicit instruction is associated with beneficial outcomes for students and may be the secret sauce of instructional success. In this article, Vaughn and Fletcher examine and explain the five key components of effective explicit instruction. They include: segmenting complex skills into manageable tasks; modeling or thinking aloud to address the important features of the content; promoting successful engagement using faded supports and prompts; providing feedback, and creating purposeful practice opportunities.

The National Reading Panel (2000) identified phonemic awareness as one of the pivotal pillars in teaching students to read. Over two decades have passed, and children still experience difficulty with learning to read. This is especially true for many African American students who are more likely not to reach proficiency on literacy measures. This article details key phonological features of African-American English and provides teachers with practical classroom applications for phonemic awareness instruction so all students can demonstrate success.