Where do I start?

I am due to write about vocabulary instruction this week, but today a member of my On the Science of Reading Bus Facebook Group posted about how confused they felt starting their Science of Reading journey and so I am shifting focus for a bit to help them (and others) out.   Over the past 2 years I have written 125 blog post, all intended to support teachers to implement the recommendations of research in classrooms.  125 posts is a lot to read (and to be honest, most haven't made it to be re-published since moving platforms early this year) so here is a collection of 6 posts that will help teachers wrap their heads around the fundamentals of research informed instruction. 

1) The Three P's, Don't Mix Them Up.
Learn the difference between phonics, phonological and phonemic awareness. 

2) No More Three Cueing! What's next? 
Find out how to support students to read unfamiliar words without guessing. 

3) Creating Massive Value in Small Group instruction. 

Far from being effective practice, guided reading is not a great use of small group time.  This post outsides how to rethink this time and deliver skills focused lessons that provide enormous value for students. 

4) Unsightly Sight Words
Another key feature of research informed instruction is the way that we teach irregular high frequency words. This post explains how to shift our thinking about these words. 

5) Decodable Text
Embarking on a researched informed path means making the shift from predictable to decodable texts. This post explains how and when to use them. 

6) Time to Break up with Running Records
Once we have shift focus, it is time to measure student progress. Typically, this has involved a benchmark reading assessment, which is not the most effective method.  This post outlines what assessment might look like when running records are a thing of the past. 

Learning new ways to teach reaching can feel daunting and overwhelm is very real.  But I want to encourage you to stick with, keep asking questions and know, that with effective guidance, you CAN make the shift to a more research informed method of reading instruction.