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Your struggling readers have likely asked themselves, or you, “Why is reading hard for me?” Sometimes, there is not a clear reason. With a little extra help, many struggling readers are simply able to crack the code and catch up. Other times, there is a clear reason: For millions of students, it’s dyslexia. Unfortunately, many individuals with dyslexia remain undiagnosed and have a more difficult time catching up to their peers. Read more

My eighth grader, Adam, refused to participate in his piano recital this year because he hadn’t learned his piece well enough. I can confirm that he hadn’t practiced much and was making lots of mistakes. Even so, a few days before the recital, I pleaded with him, “Can you just go up there and play it as best as you can? It’s okay if you make mistakes!”—to which he responded, as I knew he would, “No way. That’s too embarrassing.” Read more

If there’s one book series my second grader is crazy about, it’s Dog Man. You might know a kid or two who shares this obsession. The books are graphic novels in which bathroom humor, slime fights, and a time-traveling hot dog stand feature prominently. How do I feel about my son’s literature choices? Initially, I’ll admit, I struggled. Read more

The easiest Read Naturally stories to read are often the hardest ones to write. Many people are surprised to learn this. Isn’t it easier to write a quick level 1.0 story than it is to research and write a complex level 8.0 story? Read more

Carol Dweck’s groundbreaking mindset research has been all the rage in education circles for a number of years now. Her research shows that students with growth mindsets—those who welcome a challenge and believe they can improve with effort—perform better than students with fixed mindsets who tend to avoid difficult tasks and who believe certain traits, like intelligence, can’t be grown.

Teachers can help nurture the growth mindset, and many have made it a priority to do so in their classrooms. But what, exactly, does this look like? Many people understand Dweck’s research to mean we should encourage and praise effort, not outcomes. But this understanding misses the mark. Read more

We made it to June! Congrats on wrapping up another fantastic school year. We hope you get the opportunity to look back at all you accomplished this year and celebrate a job well done. One of our traditions here at Read Naturally is to look back at all the blog posts we wrote this year and see which ones were the most popular with our readers. This provides a great opportunity to highlight content you may have missed during the busy school year. Read more

Congrats to Bradyn M., our June Star of the Month! Bradyn is a 5th grader at Brock Elliott school in Manteca, CA. He's done fantastic work using Read Naturally programs this year! Here is what his teacher, Ms. Morris, has to say about him: Read more

As another year in my Read Live reading lab winds down, I've noticed an uptick in my third graders' motivation. Many of them had been "saving" certain story topics for last, patiently waiting to read the stories that interested them the most. They're thrilled that the time has finally come. The Exploding Toads story, in particular, has been worth the wait! Read more

The Read Live School of the Year Award recognizes schools whose students have substantially improved their reading skills with Read Live. Thank you to everyone who participated! We received dozens of excellent nominations.  Read more

Congrats to our May Star of the Month, Yusuf, who has made great progress in reading this year! Yusuf is a fifth grader at Freedom Hill Elementary School in Vienna, VA. Here is what Yusuf's teacher, Ms. Baden, had to say about him: Read more