#Keys to Reading

What is the Science of Reading? A Comprehensive Guide for Educators

Our Commitment to Evidence-Based Reading Instruction: Aligning Instruction with the Science of Reading Using Structured Literacy
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The Top Ten Science of Reading Strategies in 2024

Over decades, by examining factors such as phonological awareness, decoding skills, vocabulary acquisition, and comprehension strategies, interdisciplinary researchers have tried to identify exactly what separates proficient and struggling readers. The results of their efforts are collected in a body of…
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Morphology and How It Helps with Vocabulary

Most educators are aware of the concept of morphology but do not receive adequate training to help their students recognize base words and patterns early on in literacy acquisition.
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Virtual Conference

IMSE Presents….The 2021 Virtual Literacy Summit

April 7, 2021 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
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Student's using arm tapping.

Embracing the Science of Reading: Making the Transition from the Three Cueing System

Everyone is buzzing about the Science of Reading as the evidence to support effective reading instruction becomes widespread news and is no longer an area of debate.
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How to Teach Structured Literacy Part 4 of Structured Literacy vs. Balanced Literacy

Structured Literacy is an approach that provides a framework to include both the principles (how we should teach) and the elements (what we should teach).
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The Importance of Phonological Awareness Assessment: Part 4 of How to Teach Phonemic Awareness

While phonological awareness skills are addressed, assessment data should be continuously monitored to effectively inform instruction, track progress, differentiate lessons, and identify students who may be at risk for future reading challenges.
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Why Teach Structured Literacy Part 3 of Structured Literacy vs. Balanced Literacy

The widespread adoption of Structured Literacy can ensure that students are equally exposed to important foundational literacy skills in a sequential, systematic, and cumulative way.
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Classroom Activities to Facilitate Phonemic Awareness: Part 3 of How to Teach Phonemic Awareness

Learn how to make phonemic awareness activities a fun and exciting lesson plan for your students in our latest blog post.
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Literacy Program

What Is Balanced Literacy? Part 2 of Structured Literacy vs. Balanced Literacy

In the 1980s and 1990s, there existed a debate revolving around the question: What is the best approach to teaching reading?
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What Are Phonemes?: Part 2 of How to Teach Phonemic Awareness

Phonemes are the smallest units in our spoken language that distinguish one word from another. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate phonemes in a spoken word.
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What Is Phonemic Awareness?: Part 1 of How to Teach Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is the awareness that words are composed of sounds, and those sounds have distinct articulatory features. It is a critical skill and a strong predictor of future reading success in children.
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What Should We Read?: Part 4 of Encoding vs. Decoding

Decodable passages and books with illustrations serve as stepping stones toward chapter books.
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What Are Irregular Words?: Part 3 of Encoding vs. Decoding

Explicit, systematic, cumulative, multi-sensory instruction in encoding and decoding phonetic and irregular words motivates and empowers readers and writers.
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What Is Decoding?: Part 2 of Encoding vs. Decoding

Over time, the brain develops automaticity and fluency to decode and comprehend efficiently.
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What Is Encoding?: Part 1 of Encoding vs. Decoding

Heads or tails, top or bottom, inside or outside… We are surrounded by examples that require an understanding of dualities, like a two-sided coin.
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Decoding

The Importance of Teaching Syllable Division & Decoding Strategies

We have all encountered students who struggle to read a multisyllabic word at one time or another. As educators, we understand that long words can seem intimidating even for students who have had phonics instruction.
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Activities to Help Reading

Great Board Games and Family Activities to Help Young Learners Build New Skills

Take advantage of the extra family time and up your game! Grab some of your favorite board games and dust off ones the kids think they’ve outgrown. And who really outgrows Connect4 or CandyLand? Tailor games from your shelf or…
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Sand Tray for Literacy Skills

How to Help Your Child Build Reading Skills Over Break

While students are on break, it can be difficult to get children to practice reading skills. However, if you make it fun, they can improve their skills without realizing it! The following are activities and games that you can do…
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Learning the alphabet

Three Components of Multi-Sensory Instruction

We often hear that children learn to read differently, but that isn’t the case. Research has shown that in order to become a proficient reader, all children need to learn the same skills. To help achieve this, multi-sensory instruction can…
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Small Things You Can Do to Improve Your Child’s Reading

Early literacy development is vital to a child’s success in school and beyond. Even if you took to reading and writing naturally as a child, you shouldn’t assume that your children will as well.
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Teacher helping a student read

Dual Language Learners Are Mastering English At This NJ School, Thanks to IMSE Orton-Gillingham

Florinda Monje knows what it feels like not to understand English. The Peru native studied English before immigrating to the U.S. in 2004, but had a hard time understanding accents once she arrived in the country. The speed with which…
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Orton-Gillingham Approach Getting Students Reading in Florida

At the start of the school year, Florida second grader Mia Nunez couldn’t read. But after a dyslexia diagnosis and 10 months of IMSE’s Orton-Gillingham lessons, Mia now reads at a third-grade level and is itching to dive into her…
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Try These 5 Things to Supercharge Reading Success at Your School

At the Institute of Multi-Sensory Education, we’ve worked with some of the largest school districts in the nation — and some of the smallest charter schools. The goal is always the same: to train teachers in fun, engaging and proven…
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A Back To School Message For Educators From Our Founder: ‘IMSE Is Here For You’

Dear Teachers, As educators, each new school year brings a refreshed sense of excitement and a hunger to teach and inspire. A new school year also offers new opportunities to improve upon the many challenges we often face in the…
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From The Archives: 5 Must-Read IMSE Journal Articles

While many of the fundamentals of reading and learning have remained the same over the decades, increased implementation of various technologies and new research has brought fresh perspectives and information. In honor of March is Reading Month, the Journal took…
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12 Famous People Who Struggled With Dyslexia Before Changing The World

Without the proper support and education, dyslexia can often leave eager students feeling self-conscious and inadequate.  Despite difficulties in reading, there seems to be a theme that those with dyslexia are often destined for greatness. In fact, many of the…
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Keys to Reading: Digital vs. Print

As the Internet, ebooks and digital reading materials have become more accessible, schools and libraries across the country have assumed that younger readers, having grown up in the digital age, simply prefer an online reading experience to traditional books. In…
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Keys to Reading: The Mighty Morpheme

They may be the smallest units of language, but the morpheme is a powerhouse. Understanding how morphemes work can help readers supercharge their vocabularies, help them unlock meaning in unfamiliar words and make for more confident readers.
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Keys to Reading: Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is a crucial step on the path of learning to read. We examine how this skill came to be recognized, both in literacy research and in the classroom.
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