I am LETRS certified and a LETRS Local Certified Facilitator.  I am also endorsed as a Reading Specialist in the state of Alaska.  

It is my opinion that we should shift away from the "Learning to Read then Reading to Learn" mindset.  Wouldn't it be great for students who are learning to read to also learn something from what they are reading?  As a classroom teacher, I teach reading using the Science of Reading as my guide. 

What is the Science of Reading?  

Let me start with this IT IS NOT NEW!!!  I have had many friends and colleuges who have brushed it aside as another wave in the world of teaching.  The opposite is true.  The SoR takes all of the research from the past and present, from experts, neuroscientists, from everything that has been used in classrooms and combines it to show the best way to teach reading.  The science itself shows how a child's brain learns to read.

The Reading Rope is one of the best visuals that I have come across that captures everything that goes into reading--what makes a good reader.  It is a challenge for many students.