Librarians are passionate about cultivating a love of reading in young minds. While fostering this enthusiasm in early readers is often joyful, supporting developing readers, especially in upper elementary and middle school, can present unique challenges. This is where decodable books emerge as invaluable tools.

Welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tidbits! Today, we’re diving into the world of reading instruction with a focus on five key terms that are foundational to the Science of Reading. Understanding these terms is essential for educators, parents, and anyone interested in supporting literacy development.

While extensive research highlights the importance of early foundational literacy education, a significant gap exists in understanding the literacy needs of older students (grades 3-12). To address this gap, Storyshares conducted a research study investigating the impact of new, controlled, Science of Reading-aligned books on developing readers in grades 3-12. Read on to learn more about our findings.

Decoding, a fundamental skill in early literacy development, refers to the process of transforming written symbols into their corresponding sounds. Essentially, it's the ability to translate the visual code on a page into the phonological building blocks of spoken language. Let's break it down.

The Storyshares library has hundreds of engaging books in a variety of genres to get teens excited about summer reading. Here’s a small selection to get your reluctant teen readers started!

For older students struggling with decoding, traditional methods might not be cutting it. By incorporating a multisensory approach, you can transform decoding practice into an engaging and effective learning experience. Here are some creative ways to get your students using sight, touch, and even kinesthetic learning to master key phonics concepts.

When you open a decodable book, you may notice that there are more words than pictures. This may seem odd, given that decodable books don’t have a lot of text to begin with. Books that are light on text are often heavy on images, but decodable texts are often devoid of images entirely or contain images that don’t fully connect with the text. Why is that? Like with all things Science of Reading-related, we have to go back to the research.‍

The world of reading is no longer confined to physical books. In the 21st century, being a reader goes hand-in-hand with navigating the vast digital landscape. This means equipping students with the skills to be safe, responsible, and effective in their online interactions. Read on to learn about our unique approach to teaching teens about digital citizenship.

Struggling readers in grades 3-12 often feel left behind when it comes to practicing foundational reading skills. Traditional decodable books, geared towards younger children, can be unappealing and lack the complexity needed for older students. Storyshares offers a revolutionary solution: the Storyshares Decodable Library. Read on to see what sets our books apart.