Jenny Kier, Reading Horizons Education Consultant

Whether solo or with others, on a table, screen, or field, almost everyone enjoys games. The idea of gameplay evolved naturally thousands of years ago because games fulfill our desire for the following:

• Social connection
• Cognitive and physical development
• Entertainment
• Strategy and competition 
• Survival
• Expression of culture and identity

When it comes to reading games, students often forget they’re learning or reinforcing literacy skills because games are fun! Games can reinforce several literacy skills, including phonemic awareness, letter/sound correspondence, individual and combination letter identification and sound, and high-frequency words.

Games keep students motivated. Some games start fairly simple, making them easy for students to grasp and succeed at. This success breeds motivation. Students who are successful at gameplay will continue building on their knowledge and growing their skills.

Games don’t have to require pieces, parts, boards, lamination, scissors, and glue! How often have you played the ABC game, where everyone takes turns naming objects as you go through the alphabet? No materials required! And little to no materials means you can play these games anywhere.

Of course, you can’t have students play games all day long, but here are some great times to break into your toolbox:

• In the morning, before the bell rings
• During activity clean up
• When lining up for lunch
• As a review to gauge previous literacy skills before launching into a new one
• On the way to and from the playground
• During restroom breaks, as students are coming and going from the classroom
• During long stretches of exams to avoid cognitive fatigue
• Waiting for the bell to ring at the end of the day
• When students are in the car rider or bus line (with the group of students who are walkers)
• Indoor or outdoor recess

Let’s look at a few super easy games for students to play!

Games to Boost Phonemic Awareness and Letter/Sound Correspondence

1, 2, 3!

Objective: Phoneme isolation.

Materials: None

How to Play:

Say a three-letter word aloud (e.g., sun).

Ask students to listen carefully and think about the three sounds in the word.

Hold up one, two, or three fingers to indicate which sound they should identify:

One finger: Students say the first sound.

Two fingers: Students say the second sound (vowel sound).

Three fingers: Students say the third sound.

Only use three-letter words for this activity.

Example:

Say the word sun.

Hold up one finger: students should say the first sound, /s/.

Hold up three fingers: students should say the third sound, /n/.

Hold up two fingers: students should say the second sound (vowel), /u/.

Variation: Reverse the process. Tell students the word, give one of the three sounds, and then have students hold up their fingers to show if it is the first, second, or third sound.

G—My Name is Gary

Objective: Promote awareness of initial phonemes.

Materials: Alphabet Cards

How to Play: Give each student a letter from the Alphabet Cards. The first student states their letter name and then must follow the pattern from the example, thinking of names, places, and things that begin with that letter. 

Example: _ B__—My name is __Byron___, and my friend’s name is __Betty___. We come from  Brazil, and we like __balloons___.

Variation: This variation will lessen the cognitive load for kindergarten and special populations: M–My name is Matthew, and my friend is Martin.

Games that Promote Individual and Combination Letter Identification and Sound

Detective

Objective: Identify orthographic patterns.

Materials: Student library books, books from the classroom, decodable books, newspapers, magazines, small magnifying glasses (optional)

How to Play:

Hand out the text you have brought, or ask students to take out their library books. Have students “play detective” with their magnifying glasses. See who can spy a particular blend or digraph and be the first to stand up, ready to prove their detective work. For example, if students are looking for L-Blends, the first to find it would stand and say, “I found the pl blend in the word plug. It is at the beginning of the word.” 

Variations: 

• Students can look for letters when they first learn letter/sound correspondences, R-controlled vowels, syllable types, and more! 

• This is a great station, too. Have students use their library book or a pre-printed page of text to identify and write “ten words with the short a vowel sound.”

Games to Practice High-Frequency Words

Swap and Switch

Objective: Practice and master high-frequency words.

Materials: Cards with high-frequency words printed on each one (enough for each student to have one), high-frequency words you’ve been learning about lately

How to Play:

Give every student a card with one high-frequency word. Students stand up, put a hand up (showing they need a partner), and partner up by giving their partner a high five. 

Students take turns asking each other how to read the word on the card. If either gets the answer wrong, the person asking the question coaches before explaining the correct answer. Congratulations are given for successfully reading the word.

Once they can read both high frequency words, they trade cards and thank one another with a handshake or a fist bump.

Next, they raise their hands to find a new partner and begin the “Swap and Switch” process again. 

Set a timer for 5–10 minutes to play this game.

Variations: Have the students use the Most Common Word in a sentence or have them try to spell the word!

You have the power to make learning fun! Games are a fantastic way to put instruction into practice and allow students to test their new skills. But just like anything else in life, moderation is key. Stop a game while students are still engaged; this leaves them wanting more! Games will lose their excitement and appeal if students play them too long.

If you sense frustration or fatigue during instruction, take a break. It might be time to play a game!

Find more games and a wealth of other resources in The Science of Reading Collective!

The post Step Up Your Game: Four Foundational Literacy Games for Your Elementary Classroom  appeared first on Reading Horizons.

Here are nine things educators might say about the science of reading and how to address their concerns.

Download the free infographic below!

1. “I don’t know what the science of reading is or how to apply it.”

Many educators are unaware of the latest findings in the science of reading or may not understand how to apply this research in the classroom.

How to address it:

You are not alone. Many people are unaware of the science of reading or misunderstand its definition. It is an interdisciplinary body of research on how the brain learns to read. Many free resources can help you understand evidence-based practices identified by the science of reading.

The SOR 101 course in The Science of Reading Collective is a great, free starting point!

2. “Changing how I’ve been teaching for years will be hard.”

Teachers often rely on methods they’ve used for years, feeling comfortable with familiar curricula and instructional strategies.

How to address it:

Embracing new, research-backed approaches can enhance student outcomes. Adaptation signifies growth and a commitment to providing the best education based on current evidence. Study after study shows that student success odds improve dramatically with instruction grounded in the science of reading.

3. “Most students will learn to read no matter the approach.”

Many educators in K–3 classrooms favor balanced literacy or whole language approaches because it seems like students are reading. In reality, they only have a relatively small set of words memorized and use pictures and context to guess unknown words.

How to address it:

It’s challenging to initiate change when problems aren’t yet visible; balanced literacy can seem effective in early grades because students appear to read by memorizing words and guessing from context, masking a lack of essential decoding skills needed later. As Emily Hanford highlights in At a Loss for Words, this leads to the fourth-grade “Plateau Effect” (Jean Chall), so we must develop decoding skills early to ensure long-term success.

4. “There’s no room for creativity with the science of reading.”

Some teachers worry that systematic instruction may be too rigid, stifling creativity and student engagement.

How to address it:

The science of reading doesn’t exclude fostering a love for reading or having fun in lessons. Structured Literacy approaches provide a framework to implement engaging, interactive practices that promote creativity while ensuring students acquire essential reading skills.

Check out these games in The Science of Reading Collective!

5. “The science of reading is too one-size-fits-all.”

Some educators believe it promotes a rigid, standardized method that doesn’t cater to the needs of individual students.

How to address it:

The science of reading provides evidence-based practices that teachers can adapt. While it emphasizes certain instructional methods, it encourages differentiation to meet diverse student needs, including those with learning differences.

6. “There is too much emphasis on phonics.”

Some feel that the science of reading places excessive emphasis on phonics instruction, potentially neglecting other crucial literacy components like comprehension, vocabulary, and student motivation.

How to address it:

The science of reading advocates for the five pillars of reading instruction—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Phonics is emphasized because decoding is foundational for understanding text.

7. “There is too much time spent on testing and not enough on learning.”

A focus on test scores can make teachers hesitant to adopt new methods that they fear may not yield immediate results.

How to address it:

Diagnostics are key to Structured Literacy instruction, as they guide individualized instruction to meet each student’s needs. Assessment is not done for the sake of assessment but rather to inform instruction. Learning happens best when there is a foundation on which to anchor new information; thus, we must assess to ensure that mastery has taken place.

8. “I don’t have time to implement the science of reading.”

Teachers may feel pressured by tight schedules and extensive curricula, leaving little room to integrate new methods.

How to address it:

Integrating the science of reading can streamline instruction by focusing on essential skills, ultimately saving time and enhancing learning efficiency.

9. “Changing how I teach makes me feel like I let down my past students.”

Educators may feel that moving away from their established methods undermines their professional identity and past efforts.

How to address it:

As teachers, we are always learners first. Part of learning is applying what you have learned, just like we would expect our students to do. Modeling lifelong learning for our students is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.

When leaders understand and address the hesitations around the science of reading, they pave the way for educators to embrace evidence-based reading instruction confidently. This support ultimately leads to better literacy outcomes, creating a bright future where every student has the opportunity to succeed.

The post 9 Hesitations About the Science of Reading and How to Address Them appeared first on Reading Horizons.

BY Katie Shelton, Education Consultant

Nerding out at the National Conference of The Reading League is always one of the highlights of my year. And this year’s eighth iteration, in Charlotte, NC, was no exception.

The conference—packed with literacy podcasters, respected researchers and authors, passionate educators, and science of reading advocates—was a perfect opportunity to connect, learn, and leave inspired. 

Like many current and former educators (I taught third and fourth grade for ten years), I’m a lifelong learner. So, I’m sharing the top takeaways from my favorite sessions for those who couldn’t attend this year. Buckle up and hold on tightly to your bookends!

Heidi Beverine-Curry – RTI Revisited: Where Are We Now?

Dr. Heidi Beverine-Curry opened the conference by reframing Response to Intervention (RTI) as a response to the quality of instruction, not just intervention. She emphasized that everyone benefits from evidence-aligned teaching and that “unless we have solid core instruction, the whole system is going to be flawed.” She reinforced that when instruction doesn’t improve, neither does student achievement, and she called for everyone in the school—teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, coaches, and interventionists—to be part of an RTI or MTSS model to drive meaningful progress.

Altheria Caldera, Maria Murray, and the Educators of Color Conference Community – All Means All: The Intersection of SoR and Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Literacy Instruction

This panel of experts highlighted the need for culturally and linguistically responsive approaches to literacy. Dr. Alexandra Babino discussed the importance of reducing stress for multilingual learners. She told the story of one of her students who came to her in tears, and when asked what was wrong, he replied, “It is too much English!” She advocated for a translanguaging approach to ease the cognitive load on students learning a new language, urging teachers to understand cross-linguistic similarities and differences. One teaching note that stuck with me is that when time is limited in a day, what do we always skip? The discussions and the written exit tickets. Don’t skip these things! This is helping MLLs to increase their language and writing skills. 

Dr. Dionna Latimer-Hearn, who hosts the Respect the Dialect podcast, spoke about African American English (AAE). She made it clear that students who use AAE are not deficient or “at risk.” Teacher knowledge of AAE features is essential for effective instruction—understanding the rules of this dialect helps us connect more meaningfully with students. My favorite part was her reminder that “language variety is normal, natural, fun, and cool,” which beautifully summed up the session’s focus on celebrating linguistic diversity.

The Reading League Opening and Keynote by Zaretta Hammond – Leveraging the Science of Reading for Liberatory Education

Zaretta Hammond’s keynote centered on a powerful message, “Reading is the epicenter of equity.” She highlighted the importance of blending the science of reading with the science of learning to create strong implementations. She also emphasized building on students’ existing knowledge, or “schema,”—a process she described as “connecting the new to the known.” She encouraged nurturing a deep “word wealth” in students, emphasizing how a rich vocabulary allows for more nuanced thinking and expression. She also underscored the value of “productive struggle,” urging educators to balance “care and push” to guide students toward independence. When scaffolding, Hammond reminded us, it’s essential that support gradually fades; otherwise, it becomes a crutch rather than a bridge to confidence and competence.

Stephanie Stollar – Tier 1 Instruction Is Risk Reduction

This was one of the sessions I was most looking forward to, as I’ve followed Dr. Stollar’s work for quite some time—and she did not disappoint! This packed session was full of light bulb moments for me. Dr. Stollar reminded us that while Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) aren’t new, we’ve strayed from some of their foundational principles. She posed a challenging question: If 60 percent of students in a grade lack essential skills, can we realistically intervene effectively with such a large group? Her answer was clear—it’s not feasible without strategic, high-quality Tier 1 instruction in the general education classroom. Classroom teachers are at the center, and Dr. Stollar advocated for school-wide planning of Tier 1 instruction to maximize support, allowing as many adults as possible to work with small groups in the general education classroom. Overcrowded intervention systems are less effective, which is why Tier 1 is the first focus.

A key takeaway was her approach to evaluating Tier 2 interventions. Dr. Stollar emphasized that we shouldn’t just monitor individual progress but assess the effectiveness of the entire Tier 2 system. Her words stood out to me: “If nobody is catching up as a result of your intervention, maybe that doesn’t mean you need to send more kids to Tier 3 or make a referral. Maybe that system of Tier 2 needs to be reanalyzed or changed in some way.” Intervention is most effective when it is in addition to, not instead of, instructional minutes every day directed at the student’s current skill level.

Ramona Pittman, Malatesha Joshi, and Emily Binks-Cantrell – Bridging the Science of Reading and African American Students’ Reading Success

This session, led by Ramona Pittman, explored the structure and impact of African American English (AAE) on reading success, emphasizing that AAE is a systematic, rule-governed language. The presenters highlighted how AAE influences areas like phonological awareness, spelling, vocabulary, and syntax. For example, in phonological awareness assessments, teachers should be mindful of dialectal variations rather than penalizing students—using these differences to inform instruction instead. By acknowledging where AAE phonology might differ from General American English, teachers can help students connect new sounds to familiar sounds.

Looking back on The 8th Annual Conference of The Reading League, I’m grateful for the chance to learn alongside so many incredible educators. When you are in the classroom, it’s easy to feel like you’re on your own. Being a part of The Reading League always reminds me that we’re all in this together, figuring out how to do better by our students every day. I hope these takeaways give you a spark of inspiration—something to try, reflect on, or even share with your team. At the end of the day, it’s all about moving the needle forward, little by little, for our students. 

Watch Katie’s webinar—Myth Busting! 4 Misconceptions About Literacy Learning in Upper Grades

The post 5 Impactful Takeaways from This Year’s Leading Reading Conference appeared first on Reading Horizons.

BY JILLIAN KASTER, Community and Advocacy Manager

Growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia, I had to navigate several challenges. Now, as an educator and community manager immersed in research, I understand that learning should happen in a safe, supportive environment (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs). This holds true just as much for professional adults as for our young students. This truth is why I am ecstatic to announce the re-launch of The Science of Reading Collective^TM (The SoR Collective). Here, I want to share how my personal experiences with dyslexia, teaching, and tutoring have shaped this vibrant community for educators, empowering us all to grow and thrive together.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 66 percent of U.S. students do not read proficiently. Overcoming this daunting statistic might seem like an insurmountable challenge. Still, my experience with dyslexia has taught me that resiliency and strategy can help you overcome even the most challenging obstacles. These two themes are at the heart of The Science of Reading Collective.

As Pamela Snow and Juel noted in 2005, “Explicit teaching of alphabetic decoding skills is helpful for all children, harmful for none, and crucial for some.” The strategies that helped me as a striving reader benefit everyone. And just as “a rising tide lifts all boats,” The Science of Reading Collective aims to elevate all students by providing rigorously vetted, research-aligned resources for the educators working with them. This ensures that what you find here helps turn the tide of literacy in our nation.

Creating a Safe Space for Learning

When I first ventured into online educational communities as an educator, I quickly realized how intimidating they could be. Many of us have experienced the frustration of being judged for asking questions in Facebook groups or feeling isolated in our struggles. That’s why we designed The SoR Collective as a safe haven—a space where educators can ask questions without fear of judgment and learn in a supportive environment.

Learners thrive when we feel secure, and The SoR Collective is committed to fostering that atmosphere. Here, we celebrate curiosity; every question is a stepping stone to deeper understanding and growth. 

Building a Network of Strength

As someone with dyslexia, I’ve learned that my greatest asset is my network. While I bring my unique strengths to the table, it’s my team’s collective power that truly drives impact. The Science of Reading Collective embodies this spirit of collaboration. We didn’t build this community in isolation—it’s the result of insights and contributions from countless thought leaders and organizations dedicated to the science of reading. It’s a space where everyone can share their knowledge and resources, fostering connections that elevate us all. By uniting a diverse group of educators, The SoR Collective empowers us to leverage our collective strengths and create meaningful change.

Organizing Resources for Maximum Impact

As much as I appreciate the connections facilitated by Facebook groups, navigating its structure to find resources can be frustrating. That’s why we’ve made sure that The SoR Collective is organized and accessible, allowing you to easily find the information you need when you need it. Everything is structured to enhance your teaching practice and professional growth, from decodable texts and high-frequency word games to phonemic awareness resources and professional learning books.

Join Us in The Science of Reading Collective

The Science of Reading Collective is a resource for educators committed to evidence-based literacy instruction. Whether seeking free classroom resources, professional development, or a supportive community of like-minded professionals, The SoR Collective offers something for everyone.

I invite you to join us on this journey. Let’s make a difference in students’ lives everywhere by empowering them with the skills they need to succeed.

To learn more or to join The Science of Reading Collective, visit collective.reading horizons.com.

The post Building a Supportive Science of Reading Community: Empowering Educators with Resources and Connection appeared first on Reading Horizons.