The summer months are primetime for relaxing–and catching up on the latest and greatest thinking on education. We asked our CKLA Educator Ambassadors to share what they were reading

Over the past several years a national parent-driven, grassroots movement has successfully promoted new state policies focused on identifying students at risk for dyslexia. These

When children first learn to read, they will already understand a lot of spoken language. But written words and letters can be as strange to them as these marks below:

April is National Poetry Month, and you can help celebrate it by sharing poems with your students. Need some suggestions for what to read? CKLA is delighted to share this brief guide

Swimming in the swimming pool is where I like to 'B' wearing underwater goggles so that I can ‘C’ — Excerpt from “Swimming Ool”- Kenn Nesbitt

Must-Have Poetry Books for a Diverse and Engaging Classroom Library

1. A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton

Learning through digital gameplay is being adopted by more and more educators every day. Despite the overwhelming interest, educators are left in search of support and ideas for

In an NGSS classroom, students do what scientists do in real life.

The NGSS calls for deep linkages between the three dimensions of crosscutting concepts, disciplinary core ideas, and

March 2018 is Women’s History Month, and you can help celebrate it by sharing with your students texts about the contributions women have made to all parts of society. Need some

Over the course of this series, we have explored numerous questions about gaming and learning. We started by asking how a phenomenon such as gaming has garnered such global appeal. We

Name: Jessica McNary School:Gunnison Elementary-Lake School District: Gunnison Watershed School District What grade do you teach? Kindergarten How long have you been teaching CKLA? 1

Perhaps you’re familiar with this student: 8 years old, let’s say, and a super solid reader. At least he or she seems to be. But when you ask questions about the text—who did what,

It is not enough to ask whether a reading program has explicit phonics instruction. Research shows that phonics instruction is not simply present or absent, but rather exists in

Over the course of this series, we have explored numerous questions about gaming and learning. We started by asking how a phenomenon such as gaming has garnered such global appeal. We

Over the course of this series, we have explored numerous questions about gaming and learning. We started by asking how a phenomenon such as gaming has garnered such global appeal. We

Exceed Charter School in Brooklyn, NY has been using CKLA in their K–2 classrooms for the past three years. CKLA's impact on student engagement and learning at Exceed Charter School

Name: Sarah Wieckert School:Gresham School of Excellence District: Chicago Public Schools What grade do you teach? First Grade How long have you been teaching CKLA? 3 years

February 1, 2018 is World Read-Aloud Day, and you can help celebrate it by reading aloud to your students. Need some suggestions for what to read? CKLA is delighted to share this brief

Today, many parents struggle with complex dilemmas as they try to raise strong, vibrant kids and mold them into empathic, global citizens. One such contemporary quandary involves

Chocolate-Covered Broccoli

Not all digital learning games are created equal. Although the gaming market is saturated with potential titles, many fall short in quality or academic

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in

Elizabeth Wade joined Amplify in 2013 and serves as Senior Education Consultant on the Core Knowledge Language Arts team.

Sarah McNeil is a Kindergarten Teacher at Verde Elementary who has been using CKLA Listening & Learning, as well as Skills, since August of this school year (2017-2018). Sarah created

In what represents an exciting and significant step towards achieving educational equity for all, the federal government announced this Fall the winners of the 2017-18 Striving Readers

We are excited to announce that, as of November 30th, teachers and students are now able to explore areas of CKLA’s Knowledge Strand in an entirely new way.

There are a wide variety of digital games available for players on countless platforms. It makes it very challenging to find a game for a specific purpose such as learning. The first

Preface

There are literally thousands of research studies, books, web articles, and news reports examining the effectiveness of games during the learning process. Some of these sources

Preface

There are literally thousands of research studies, books, web articles, and news reports examining the effectiveness of games during the learning process. Some of these sources

This post is published with permission from the Core Knowledge Foundation, Amplify’s thought leadership partner for the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program.

Wapato School District first implemented CKLA in 2015. Since the district started using CKLA, many of its students have tested as proficient for the first time. We spoke with Shannon

Last year, Amplify's CKLA team visited Alvina Elementary School in California, now in its second year of implementing CKLA.

As more and more educators consider using games in their learning programs, they must understand all of the nuances involved. Today, the buzzwords in education are gamification,

This post is published with permission from the Core Knowledge Foundation, Amplify’s thought leadership partner for the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program.

During sporadic times in my life, I would have labeled myself a gamer. I started with the classic Atari 2600 in the early 1980’s (no old jokes, please). As I developed through my

This post is published with permission from the Core Knowledge Foundation, Amplify’s thought leadership partner for the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program.

Have you ever observed a person playing a video game? Have you ever witnessed the intense range of emotions, extreme task commitment, engagement, and focus players experience as they

This post is published with permission from the Core Knowledge Foundation, Amplify’s thought leadership partner for the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program.

What’s your brain doing as you read these words? How did it learn to read in the first place? The remarkable journey of just one letter reveals the surprising answers.

Chase a beam of

Discover the remarkable neurological changes that take place in the brain as students learn to read. 

Neuroscientific research is now yielding advanced insights into the connections between brain science and learning success, especially literacy. At the leading edge of this research is

As a third-grader in Ithaca, New York, I picked up a book by the great American poet A.R. Ammons. I opened it, not because I was interested in great American poetry, but because the

Introduction by Amplify staff...How can we inspire joy in learning? Another more concrete, actionable way to answer that question is: how can we get students to enjoy school? Let’s

Teachers strive to bring joy into their classrooms. That’s easiest, of course, when they’ve got reserves to share. Here’s what teachers told us about how they bring joy into their own

What makes for effective literacy intervention? What makes for ineffective literacy intervention? When considering intervention options, these questions matter. Yet wading through the

In Norway, Wisconsin, as in much of the state, cold winters are a way of life. People allow extra time to bundle up and then waddle through town like Michelin men edged with fur. For

We analyzed 100 reading passages from grades 3 through 5 state literacy tests to determine which knowledge domains appear most commonly in questions. We also found that students who

When I was a teacher, his name was Jacob. He was the kid teachers remember. He knew stuff. He’d been places. And he wanted to know more. Not more about any topic, but one particular

In this webinar (which originally aired on November 1, 2016), Amber McWilliams (PreK–5 ELL Specialist, Amplify. Certified WIDA Prime V2 correlator) provides a variety of evidence-based

In this webinar (which originally aired on October 25, 2016), Susan Lambert (Vice President of PreK–5 English Language Arts, Amplify, former principal, curriculum director, and Core

As English Language Learners are fast growing in today’s schools across the United States, teachers need strategies that can assist English Language Learners in making gains in English

In this webinar with the Lawrence Hall of Science (which originally aired on November 8, 2016), Dr. Suzanna Loper explains how to use argumentation (one of the science practices

Students who fail to reach literacy benchmark by 3rd grade see engagement and self-esteem slide, struggle to keep up in other subjects and often drop out entirely. Per other research,

In this webinar with the Lawrence Hall of Science (which originally aired on October 20, 2016), Dr. Megan Goss explains how active reading supports student engagement in reading