Topic: Early Literacy
Resources

The Alabama Coaching Framework
The Alabama Coaching Framework turns superintendent, Dr. Eric Mackey’s vision to provide innovative support to teachers into a reality. The framework sets the standard for how coaches in any content area conduct their work in Alabama. This evidence-based framework...

Structured Literacy and Typical Literacy Practices: Understanding Differences to Create Instructional Opportunities
In this article, Louise Spear-Swerling discusses the key features of structured literacy (SL) beginning with explicit and systematic instruction. The article explains why SL is an effective way to teach children with dyslexia and students who struggle with learning...

Effective Strategies for Teaching the Alphabetic Principle
This infographic from the National Center on Improving Literacy provides a visual with explanations to illustrate how teachers can teach the alphabetic principle by connecting sounds, using background knowledge of letter sounds, and providing decodable texts for students to...

Professional Learning Communities Facilitator’s Guide for the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade
Developed by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast, this facilitator’s guide accompanies the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) practice guide–Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade–for use in professional learning communities (PLCs). The facilitator’s guide...

Progress Monitoring: Reading
This Progress Monitoring: Reading professional learning module builds educator knowledge in how to generate useful feedback for gauging independent student reading development over time within the elementary classroom. Provided by the IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University, the module entails...

Professional Learning Communities Facilitator’s Guide for the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School
For use in professional learning communities (PLCs), this Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest facilitator’s guide supports the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) practice guide titled Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School. The facilitator’s...

Implementing Evidence-based Literacy Practices
This Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast infographic provides an overview of select evidence-based resources available to literacy leaders for use in self-study and professional learning communities (PLCs). The roadmap serves as a navigation tool with direct links to various videos...

Considerations for Scheduling Early Literacy Interventions
A product of the Southeast Regional Educational Laboratory, this infographic depicts an intervention schedule for Grades K–2 classrooms utilizing evidence-based recommendations reported in Institute of Education Sciences (IES) guidance documents. As an example master schedule, the allotted timeframes advocate...

A Kindergarten Teacher’s Guide to Supporting Family Involvement in Foundational Reading Skills
This guide was created by the Southeast Regional Educational Laboratory for kindergarten teachers to use with parents and caregivers to support them in reinforcing foundational reading skills development at home. It presents four research-based recommendations with how-to steps using...

Teaching Newcomer English Learners: Four Powerful Vocabulary Practices
This video clip provides four evidence-based practices on how to teach English learners in grades K-8 academic vocabulary. Drawing from the IES Practice Guide published in 2014 Teaching Academic Content and Literacy in Elementary and Middle School, the REL...