Fountas & Pinnell Blog

When children look at the books in the classroom library, they must be able to see themselves.

A level is for books, not for children.

Prekindergarten teachers are faced with the challenge of creating classrooms that are play-based, but also prepare children for a literacy-rich world. While most children will not leave PreK able to read conventionally, their development as emergent readers can be supported in many ways.

A graphic organizer is a visual diagram that shows the relationships among a number of ideas. Use graphic organizers to help students see the important interrelationships in the information they are reading or to become aware of the way authors have structured a text.

We believe, and have always believed, that reading levels are a valuable tool for teachers, and should not be used as a label for the children we teach, but rather should be used to make good decisions in instruction.

Levels are not for families, children, or report cards.

This will inevitably happen because students will have slightly different needs. But you are working to place small groups of students together whom a particular reading level is appropriate.

Having a library is a treasure, and having a librarian is a gift.

Student choice builds agency.

Learn how close the literacy achievement gap using the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention System through these two in-depth, multi-day institutes led by Fountas and Pinnell-trained consultants.

As you examine a text for instruction, notice text factors that might be difficult for the English learners in your class.

The books in a classroom library are not there for the purpose of “practicing reading,” but rather to create lifelong readers who have the power of choice.

FAQ Friday: Which High Frequency Word List Should I Use?

We would never take a book out of child's hand. If a child wants to read a book, let them read a book. But we can help them choose books they will enjoy by conferring with them and looking at what they write about books.

Fountas and Pinnell will be hosting a Back-to-School Twitter Chat Thursday, 9/20 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

All children deserve access to an authentic, rich, and diverse text base—including a robust classroom library where levels have no place.

While we cannot ignore tests, we cannot let them control our lives and the lives of our students. Here are some ways to cope with the demands of testing.

Learners should be in charge of their own learning.