by Karina Richland | Feb 6, 2026 | Language & Reading
What is the ultimate goal of reading instruction? Is it for a child to sound out every word in a paragraph perfectly, or is it for them to understand, question, and connect with the ideas in that paragraph? This question gets to the heart of the learning to read vs...
by Karina Richland | Feb 3, 2026 | Language & Reading
As a parent or educator, you’ve probably heard the phrase that children spend their first few years “learning to read” and the rest of their school years “reading to learn.” It’s often presented as a simple switch that flips around third grade....
by Karina Richland | Jan 22, 2026 | Language & Reading
Learning to speak is a natural process for the human brain, but learning to read is not. Reading requires the brain to build a whole new set of connections, linking the sounds of our language to the symbols on a page. This is where reading readiness activities come...
by Karina Richland | Jan 22, 2026 | Language & Reading
Think of reading skills like building blocks. To build a tall, sturdy tower, every block in the foundation must be perfectly placed. When a child struggles to read, it’s often because a crucial block—like the ability to hear individual sounds in words—is wobbly or...
by Karina Richland | Jan 22, 2026 | Language & Reading
Helping your child get ready to read doesn’t have to involve flashcards or stressful drills. In fact, the most powerful learning happens through play. By weaving simple, fun interactions into your daily routine, you can build the essential pre-reading skills...
by Karina Richland | Jan 20, 2026 | Language & Reading
Many people believe that learning to read is a natural process, much like learning to speak. However, decades of research tell us something different. Our brains are wired for spoken language, but not for reading. Reading is a complex skill that must be explicitly...
