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Developmentally Appropriate Reading Practices

Understanding developmentally appropriate practices can transform how you support your child’s reading journey, replacing anxiety with confidence and frustration with joy. Let’s explore how to nurture your young reader in ways that honor their individual development while setting them up for literacy success. What Are Developmentally Appropriate Reading Practices? Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is an…

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Mastering Three-Syllable Words: How Explicit Phonics Instruction Unlocks Reading Success

When young readers encounter words like”butterfly” or “elephant” for the first time, many freeze in their tracks. These longer, three-syllable words can look like insurmountable mountains to children who have only mastered simple one-syllable words. But with the right approach based on the science of reading and explicit phonics instruction, these seemingly complex words become…

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Phonics Definition — The Foundation of Reading Success

Imagine your child holding a book, their eyes lighting up as they successfully sound out their first word independently. That magical moment is often the result of effective phonics instruction, the cornerstone of early reading development. For parents watching their little ones struggle with reading, understanding what phonics is and how it works can be…

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Understanding Sentences: The Building Blocks of Reading Comprehension

Isn’t it amazing to watch a child’s eyes light up when they not only read words correctly but also grasp the full meaning of what they’re reading? This reading milestone occurs when children master sentence comprehension – the magical moment when individual words transform into connected ideas.  While helping children decode individual words creates an…

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What is Reading Comprehension?

Reading comprehension—the ability to understand, process, and connect with text—forms the cornerstone of successful reading. While many parents focus heavily on helping their child sound out words, true reading mastery happens when those decoded words transform into meaningful understanding. For children struggling with early reading skills, developing strong comprehension abilities can make the difference between…

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