TextProject

Two new studies suggest an important shift in thinking about beginning reading instruction. “Reading level” alone does not tell us enough about how difficult a text will be for students. The familiarity, frequency, and spelling patterns matter greatly.� Check out the link in the comments below to learn more! ⬇️

TextProjects SummerReads text sets are the perfect answer to the the summer reading slump! Reading just 4 or 5 books while school is out helps to prevent a drop in reading performance over the summer. SummerReads offers accessible, engaging texts - FREE! The text series is geared for rising 3rd -5th graders and includes supplemental audio files and comprehension questions.

As students move into middle and high school, challenges with multisyllabic words come to the fore. Corpus linguistics can pinpoint the multisyllabic words most worth teaching, and arge language models can be used to generate texts to give students repeated, meaningful encounters with the targeted word families.

To celebrate Children's Book Week May 4-10, we're giving away a double-batch of Freddy's Favorites - 2 picture books and 2 books for grade 5 and older readers:

1. "Albertos Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa" takes readers along with scientist Alberto Salas on a hunt for wild potatoes before they go extinct in this playful picture book biography, written by Sara Andrea Fajardo and illustrated by Caldecott-honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.
2. "Fireworks", by the award-winning team of Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien, is a "sparkling celebration of summer, the 4th of July, and family."
3. "A World Without Summer", written by Nicholas Day with illustrations by Yas Imamura is "the true story of how a massive catastrophic eruption plunged the world into darkness, altering the global climate and inspiring the likes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein." Recommended age range: 10-14 years.
4. "School Trip" is a contemporary graphic novel by Jerry Craft featuring the adventures of the gang from Riverdale Academy Day as they head to Paris. Hilarious adventures ensue! For readers ages 9 and above.

How to win:
1. Follow us if you haven't already.
2. Tag a friend
3. Let us know which book is your preference in the comments
4. Share/Repost for an extra chance to win!

Contest ends May 11!

for Children's Book Week this May 4-10! Celebrate curiousity and the joy of reading with Textproject's free resources for emerging readers.

TextProject CEO Dr. Elfrieda (Freddy) Hiebert will be giving the distinguished scholar address for the Research in Research & Literacy Special Interest Group at American Educational Research Association 2026 conference this Friday, April 10. (Sarah M. Lupo, Ph.D.of James Madison is a co-author of the presentation). The research points to two essential experiences these readers need — sustained exposure to texts that build automaticity with core vocabulary, and explicit instruction in multisyllabic words followed by real application in reading.

In a recent post on TextProject.org, Freddy highlights the portion of the presentation that describes the kind of multisyllabic instruction and experiences our adolescents need.

Enter our March giveaway to win a copy of "The Diamond Explorer" or "How to Talk to Your Succulent."
It's easy to enter:
1. Like our page TextProject if you haven't already.
2. Comment below with which book you'd prefer to get in the giveaway.
3. Tag a friend in the comments for an extra chance to win!

Contest ends March 31. Find out more about these books, and why middle schoolers deserve stories, not worksheets at https://textproject.org/frankly-freddy/middle-schoolers-deserve-stories

Join me this Saturday, March 21, 10am-noon PST for a free webinar on the the new science of vocabulary! Leveraging AI-generated insights has the potential to enhance vocabulary acquisition across all grades and subjects, revolutionizing word learning in education.

The New Science of Vocabulary: How AI Can Support Language Learning A Read Washington Webinar with Dr. Elfrieda (Freddy) H. Hiebert, founder of TextProject