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Beginning Readers: Overview

IRA offers a rich collection of resources to help you start young children along the path to literacy and a lifelong love of reading. Just follow the links below to find more information, or use advanced search and select “Early childhood” under the Learner heading to find even more.

Position Statements See more

Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children
Literacy Development in the Preschool Years
Phonemic Awareness and the Teaching of Reading
The Role of Phonics in Reading Instruction

Lesson Plans See more

Find high quality, peer-reviewed lesson plans in reading and language arts at ReadWriteThink.org, a joint project of IRA and the National Council of Teachers of English, supported by the Verizon Foundation.

Lesson plans for kindergarten to grade 2

Webinars and Podcasts See more

Webinar: “The Foundational Roles of Vocabulary and Comprehension in Early Literacy” with Lesley Mandel Morrow and Billie Enz
Podcast: Phonics Through Shared Reading

Booklists See more

Children's Choices
Teachers' Choices

Meetings and Events On the calendar

IRA's annual convention offers the best kind of professional development—the chance to learn and share with colleagues in a professional community. Check out www.iraconvention.org for details.

Awards and Grants See more

Jeanne S. Chall Research Fellowship