susan marasciulo

“Find out what the child is interested in. Let the child bring his own book, the book he loves, you know, see if he can read, see if he understands.” That's how one critic of direct instruction says we should teach kids to read in Episode 3 of Sold a Story. It sounds lovely. But ask one question: What about the kid who doesn't have a book? What about the child with no shelf at home and nobody reading to them at night? The one who's already behind in 1st grade and knows it? "Follow their interests" works for kids who already read and have every advantage. For everyone else, it's a door that never opens. This is what adults want reading instruction to look like, because it feels warm, natural, and easy. But the data is clear. Kids learn to read through explicit, systematic teaching of how our language works. Every child deserves that, not just the lucky ones. When we choose what feels good for adults over what works for children, kids pay the price. Children over comfort. Evidence over ideology. 📚 #ScienceOfReading #LiteracyNow #ReadingJustice #EveryChildCanRead #ScienceOfReading