Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

Bright from the Start

Bright from the Start

pre-k

Long before young children learn to read, they are practicing critical pre-reading skills: discovering the world of print, holding a book and turning its pages, recognition of letters and the sounds of speech (phonemic awareness), rhyming, word play, and "scribble" writing. To learn more about how to help emergent readers master these skills, visit Reading Rockets' comprehensive preschool resources, for parents, preschool teachers, and caregivers.


Our Newest PBS Show: Toddling Toward Reading

Reba McEntire

We once thought a child's education started in kindergarten — but that could be years too late. Hosted by Reba McEntire, "Toddling Toward Reading" looks at what it takes to give our preschoolers the early literacy skills they need to become successful readers.

Watch Toddling Toward Reading >

The Purposeful Pre-K Classroom

When you walk into a high-quality pre-K classroom you see learning everywhere. Discover what elements are critical to providing the sense of purpose, organization, and energy that creates the best results for children.

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Get Ready to Read Screening Tool

Try this 10-minute screening tool, designed for four-year-olds, to find out if they are on track for learning how to read. For more information about the Get Ready to Read (GRTR) program, visit the GRTR website.

Go to screening tool >

Reading Rockets Wins Parents Choice Award!

Parents Choice

We're proud to announce that the Reading Rockets website has received a 2008 Parents Choice Silver Honor Award, recognizing the site's breadth, wealth of multimedia content, and dedication to providing adults with information to help children learn to read.

Go to Parents Choice awards >

Books & Authors

Stars Bright, Moonlight: Our Interview with
Denise Fleming

Denise Fleming

Rhyme and alliteration ("waddle, wade, geese parade"). Colorful verbs and vibrant illustrations cut from homemade paper. These are the distinctive qualities of Denise Fleming's award-winning picture books for very young children. Learn about Fleming's intriguing papermaking process and her careful attention to language and action words. Fleming hopes that readers will act out her books: "Picture books are like small plays," she says.

Go to Denise Fleming interview >

Gifted: Stories About Learning Differently

Traveling Eye

"Spectacularful ideas are always sproinging up in my brain." So says Clementine, an imaginative and high-energy third-grader girl who is always being told to "pay attention!" Get to know Clementine, Max (the smartest boy in math class), Jenny Sue (the girl with the traveling eye), and the other memorable and very real kids in these sensitive but unsentimental stories.

Go to book list >

Features

English Language Learners and Academic Language

Academic language — the language used in textbooks, classrooms, and tests — is different in structure and vocabulary from everyday spoken English. Our newest professional development webcast, featuring Professor Robin Scarcella, provides an overview of academic language instruction for ELLs, effective classroom strategies, a discussion of what needs to be taught beyond vocabulary, and more.

Watch the academic language webcast >

See this related article, Developing Academic Language: Got Words?

¡Celebre! Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage

Hispanic culture revolves around the family, with a rich tradition of music, dance, and storytelling. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 with these games, activities, and book lists from our bilingual sister site, Colorín Colorado.

Go Hispanic Heritage Month resources >

Browse our carefully chosen list of Latino and Spanish-language books, including Del ombligo de la luna y otros poemas de verano, a collection of beautiful bilingual poetry from Francisco Alarcon.

Go to Latino- and Spanish-language book list >

A Home for My Books

Creating a library of your child's books is a great way to show her how important reading is. It will also give her a special place to keep her books and motivation to keep pulling books from her own library to read. Here are some ideas for getting started! To get more parent tips delivered right to your inbox each month, sign up for Reading Rockets' Ed Extras.

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Community

Reading Rockets Is on Facebook!

Connect with Reading Rockets on our new Facebook fan page. You'll find video interviews with award-winning children's authors, recommended books for young kids, our reading blogs, the daily reading news, a graffitti wall, events listings, and more. You can also sign up to follow Reading Rockets on Twitter. Add your voice to our literacy community!

Go to Reading Rockets on Facebook >

Featured Partner: Reach Out and Read

ROR

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national non-profit organization that promotes early literacy. In pediatric exam rooms across the nation, doctors and nurses provide new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.

Go to Reach Out and Read website >

Tips & News from Reading Rockets

  • Reading Tips for Parents. These one-page parent tip sheets are now available in 11 languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Navajo, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. NEW! Tips for parents of babies and toddlers.

  • Reading Rockets News. Take a look at the current issue of our popular monthly e-newsletter on reading.