#reading-skills — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #reading-skills, aggregated by home.social.
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“For decades, the common explanation for why children struggle to read has stayed remarkably consistent. Smart kids read well. Kids who don't simply aren't smart enough. [...] Dr. Daniel Hajovsky, associate professor in Texas A&M University's Department of Educational Psychology, has led one of the largest analyses ever conducted on the relationship between cognitive abilities and reading. [...] The results offer a new perspective. Visual processing showed no meaningful relationship to reading ability anywhere in the analysis. General intelligence mattered, but far less than earlier research had claimed.”
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-years-struggles-obvious-massive-analysis.html
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Free ebook: “Departure” by Sherwood Anderson
Dear all,
It’s the spring equinox and the time for another quarterly ebook. This time it’s a short story by Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), American novelist and short story writer best known for his book ” Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life.”
Departure comes from that same collection of stories. It’s about a young man leaving his small hometown to begin a new life in a big city. As he’s leaving, thoughts about the familiar people and places fill him with melancholy. It’s a bittersweet story that I hope you will enjoy!
To get your PDF copy with vocabulary notes, please click on the link below:
If you’d like to access more ebooks, visit the English Library section of this website.
NOTES
I’m a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.
If you wish to receive new content from my blog – as soon as it’s published – please enter your email address in the box below. You can also subscribe to my free monthly Newsletter and get a regular recap with additional content.
To support my work, you can send me a donation via PayPal. It would be greatly appreciated!
COVER PHOTO CREDIT
#AmericanLiterature #ebook #English #EnglishLiterature #EnglishVocabulary #freeDownload #freebie #learningEnglish #literature #readingComprehension #readingSkills #shortStory -
Teacher stirs 'controversy' by being brutally honest with students about their reading level
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🔢📚 In today's "shocking" revelation, it appears that US high schoolers are continuing their epic quest to set new low scores in math and reading. Meanwhile, a war of headlines rages on, leaving us to wonder if anyone will ever find X or read about it competently. 😂🔍
https://apnews.com/article/naep-reading-math-scores-12th-grade-c18d6e3fbc125f12948cc70cb85a520a #USEducation #MathScores #ReadingSkills #LowScores #HeadlineWar #StudentPerformance #HackerNews #ngated -
I Used to Know How to Write in Japanese (Somehow, though, I can still read it)
https://aethermug.com/posts/i-used-to-know-how-to-write-in-japanese
#HackerNews #IUsedToKnowJapanese #ReadingSkills #LanguageLearning #JapaneseWriting #Linguistics
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The Average College Student Is Illiterate
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-average-college-student-is-illiterate
#HackerNews #AverageCollegeStudent #Illiteracy #Education #Crisis #CollegeEducation #ReadingSkills
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Free ebook: “Four Stories for Spring” by Ellen Robena Field
Dear friends and followers of the Grammaticus blog,
With the arrival of spring, it’s time for another quarterly ebook from the Grammaticus Free Library series: “Four Stories for Spring.”
The author of these stories is Ellen Robena Field (1869–1957), a children’s writer and educator from Bangor, Maine. Nowadays sadly overlooked, she is best known for her collection of short stories “Buttercup Gold and Other Stories”, originally published by the Bangor Kindergarten Association in 1894.
The ebook here available contains four spring-themed stories from that collection, with the accompanying vocabulary notes and illustrations designed primarily for English language learners (levels B1 and above).
To download your PDF copy, click on the link below. To browse all the previous Grammaticus Free Library titles, visit the Library section of this website.
NOTE
If you wish to receive new content from the Grammaticus blog in your inbox, please enter your email address in the box below. You can also subscribe to my free monthly Newsletter.
COVER IMAGE CREDIT
#AmericanLiterature #childrenSLiterature #ebook #EllenRobenaField #EnglishLiterature #EnglishVocabulary #freeDownload #freebie #learningEnglish #literature #readingComprehension #readingSkills #shortStories
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Every two years, America’s schoolchildren get a report card on math and reading. The latest results show students falling further behind. But officials say it can’t all be blamed on the pandemic. education #Children #math #readingskills https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2025/0129/nations-report-card-naep-us-math-reading
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Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️☀️
It's time for another free e-book in my Grammaticus Free Library series. Click on the link below to download "Christmas at Red Butte" by the celebrated Canadian writer Lucy Maud Montgomery.
It's a delightful tale that revolves around the themes of sacrifice and the spirit of Christmas. The narrative follows an orphaned girl named Theodora, who faces a challenging situation when a poor harvest on the Canadian prairie threatens to ruin Christmas for her cousins.
The ebook contains vocabulary notes and an extra exercise page for English language learners.
https://grammaticus.blog/2024/12/20/free-ebook-christmas-at-red-butte/
#ebook #shortstory #winter #Christmas #canada #literature #canadianliterature #freebies #learningenglish #readingskills
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I’m happy to announce the release of the seventh title in my Grammaticus Free Library series: “The Mesmeric Mountain” is a curious tale of a man convinced he’s being followed by a mountain. It was written by Stephen Crane (1871-1900), a prolific American writer whose innovative style influenced generations of authors.
https://grammaticus.blog/2024/06/21/free-ebook-the-mesmeric-mountain/
#literature #americanliterature #reading #ReadingSkills #learningenglish #englishteacher #englishvocabulary
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I start thinking my French reading skills are getting pretty good and then I go reading half an article thinking they're mentioning wolves in some idiomatic way but actually it's magnifying glass.
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On Kate Chopin's birthday 🎂 (born #OTD in 1850), a reminder that you can get a free ebook containing her short story "A Morning Walk" from the Grammaticus website:
https://grammaticus.blog/2023/03/20/free-ebook-a-morning-walk/
The ebook contains #vocabulary notes primarily intended for English language learners.
#shortstory #americanliterature #learningenglish #reading #readingskills #freebies
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#FreeSchoolMeals ‘cut #obesity and help #ReadingSkills’ in #England, study finds
#Labour MPs call to extend provision to every primary pupil in England after study finds #health and #learning improve
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/04/free-school-meals-cut-obesity-help-reading-skills-england-study-finds -
My post on skim-reading was quite controversial. Because I said that managers should skim less (even though I am one), several people thought I was blaming readers for writers’ problems.
I think I handed around the blame fairly evenly! Including reserving a bit for myself.
Seriously, I’d be interested whether you agree about the risks of skim-reading.
Now with less text and added marginalia, to discourage skimming!
https://earfinders.com/blog/2023/managers-should-skim-less -
My favourite wintertime books
The temperature is dropping and it’s getting colder and colder outside. What better way to spend a quiet winter evening than with a nice, warm drink and a cosy yet thrilling read!
In this post I’ll share with you some of my favourite books with a dreamy wintertime setting. For the past few years we haven’t had much snow in my neck of the woods, but there’s plenty of it in these titles! And I think there’s something for everyone in my selection – both fiction and non-fiction. So, scroll down and find something for yourself.
(A brief note for my current students – you can borrow all of these titles from my in-house library.)
Without further ado, let’s get cracking!
Five Go Adventuring Again
MYSTERY / ADVENTURE / CHILDREN’S
On the odd chance you are not familiar with the Famous Five book series by Enid Blyton, have a look at my article written on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the very first release.
Five Go Adventuring Again is the second book in the series. Originally published in 1943, it’s written in a simple way typical of Blyton’s early works, which makes it suitable for English language learners – levels pre-intermediate (B1) and above. Set during Christmas holidays, the kids get themselves involved in a holiday adventure, as they discover secret passages, mysterious maps and deal with suspicious strangers.
Regardless of how old you may be, you’re never too old for a Famous Five book! You can check out the e-book, accessible via archive.org with a free account.
The Secret History
MURDER MYSTERY / DARK ACADEMIA / CAMPUS NOVEL
Donna Tartt’s first book, The Secret History, has been a best-seller for over thirty years. First published in 1992, it follows a group of students at a small, elite New England college. Budding classicists who are the main characters have complicated personal histories and relationships, and are all somehow connected with the disappearance and murder of a fellow student.
If you’re intrigued, a while ago I posted a review of this novel (I had only the best things to say), and you can read it by clicking here.
The Sittaford Mystery
MURDER MYSTERY / DETECTIVE STORY
If you’re into thrillers and murder mysteries of a more cosy variety, Agatha Christie’s novels featuring Miss Marple are just the ticket!
The Sittaford Mystery is set in a small Dartmoor village in the middle of a very snowy winter. A group of people meets for a spiritualist seance at a residence of one of the prominent locals – but instead of table-turning, there’s a seemingly inexplicable murder!
If you like the book, check out the television adaptation of this story, part of the ITV’s Agatha Christie’s Marple series starring Geraldine McEwan. (If you can’t find it elsewhere, it’s currently available on YouTube, here and here.)
The Tenderness of Wolves
MURDER MYSTERY / DRAMA
I remember when I first read Stef Penney’s 2006 novel The Tenderness of Wolves, I loved every single thing about it! Penney’s writing style (extremely skillful for a debut novel!); the deep winter setting; small and remote rural places in Canada; the suspense… It was just breathtaking. You won’t be able to put it down!
The book is difficult to define in terms of genre, but it’s definitely much more than your typical murder mystery. I wish there was a film adaptation, but thus far there is only the BBC Radio 4 drama series originally broadcast in 2007. (Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be available on the BBC Sounds platform at the time of writing. Let me know if you manage to find it elsewhere!)
Peace Like a River
DRAMA
Leif Enger’s 2001 novel Peace Like a River is set in the early 1950s and follows the lives of the Land family from the small town of Roofing. Their initially calm existence gets disturbed by the actions of two local bullies, and from there things unintentionally go into a downward spiral for everyone.
In spite of dealing with difficult subjects, the striking thing about this book is its gentleness and grace. There’s a lot of Biblical and Christian symbolism in it, starting with the title itself (a line from the hymn “It is well with my soul”). It’s very well written and simply heartwarming.
It’s been a while since I last read this book, and I can’t guarantee that it’s actually set in winter at all – but I always feel like reading it on a cold winter’s day. So think of it as an honourable mention here.
Wilderness Seasons
NON-FICTION / ADVENTURE / NATURE WRITING
The only non-fiction title in this selection is a delectable little book written by Ian and Sally Wilson. Its full title is Wilderness Seasons: Life and Adventure in Canada’s North. First published in 1987, it’s the Wilsons’ true account of their own personal adventure.
Having decided to leave the city, they moved to a remote homestead – hundreds of kilometres from the nearest settlement, and accessible only by a small plane. Wonderfully inspiring, the book describes the four seasons in their little piece of heaven (so not all of it is winter-themed).
I’ve always harboured similar fantasies, and reading this book was incredibly satisfying. I remember getting it at a book swapping event over a decade ago. And as a special treat, the book came with the authors’ signatures. I treasure it to this day.
Please post in the comments section below and share about your wintertime favourites. I’d love to read about them!
COVER IMAGE CREDITS
Photo by Paola Chaaya via Unsplash
NOTES
I’m a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.
If you wish to receive new content from my blog – as soon as it’s published – please enter your email address in the box below. You can also subscribe to my free monthly Newsletter and get a regular recap with additional content.
To support my work, you can send me a donation via PayPal. It would be greatly appreciated!
#AmericanLiterature #books #Canada #CanadianLiterature #Christmas #EnglishLiterature #learningEnglish #reading #readingComprehension #readingSkills #recommendations #tips #winter
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We all skim-read, but what’s the cost in time and working relationships?
Reading our team’s emails and reports thoroughly (not skimming) costs us a bit of time but helps them, and helps us more. Here is how:
https://earfinders.com/blog/2023/managers-should-skim-less -
Long shot here. Could anyone point me to research showing that we *believe* we read better than we actually do?
(IE thinking that we are grasping the full meaning or context we aren't, perhaps between we read faster on screens and skim more.)
I’m sure I’ve read about this, but now I need a reference, it escapes me.
I don’t think Maryanne Wolf mentioned this specifically in “Reader, Come Home”.
Patricia Alexander found that students incorrectly judged their comprehension as better online than in print. But that’s not quite the same as thinking their overall reading comprehension is better than it is.
Any leads would be great, or if you feel like giving this a boost to help spread the net, I’d appreciate it.
#ReadingSkills #ReadingComprehension #OnlineReading #OnscreenReading
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I feel strongly that we shouldn’t write at work as if for inattentive kids. Just as solving hard problems is worth a lot, so is discussing those problems in an adult way that doesn’t childishly look for cheats and shortcuts. So let’s write with care for the reader but assume they read with a little care too:
https://www.dothewords.com/seeding-reading-dont-squeeze-all-the-value-from-complex-ideas/
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I'm very happy to present the fourth title in my series of Grammaticus Free Library #ebooks, designed primarily for English language learners (levels C1/C2), and all lovers of good #literature.
This one contains a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne, ‘The Minister’s Black Veil’. First published in 1832, it’s in many ways typical of Hawthorne’s oeuvre: it’s a bit dark, unsettling and psychologically intriguing.
https://grammaticus.blog/2023/09/20/ebook-the-ministers-black-veil/
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I swear if I ever am in charge of hiring anyone, the only test I will need to give applicants is a 4th grade reading comprehension test. If you can't read and understand a simple email I really don't want to work with you.
#reading #readingskills