Leigh Fettes

When students can’t find the "main idea", the problem is almost never a missing strategy.

Reading comprehension is not a skill. It’s an outcome of what you know. Strategies plateau. Knowledge compounds.

New 3-part series: Intensifying Reading Intervention: A Tiered Approach Learn how to build on a strong Tier 1, and intensifying Tier 2 and Tier 3 reading intervention with practical, classroom-connected examples. Register here: onlit.org/event/intensif…

One of the biggest drivers in my shift toward explicit instruction has been simplifying everything. I used to try to gamify, activify, and engagify every lesson—bells, whistles, and all. It wasn’t sustainable, and it wasn’t especially effective. I taught under the impression that I had to “make it fun.” One of the best lessons I taught all year happened today, and here’s what it required: a visualizer, a blank outline map of the Caribbean, and all the critical content I know to explicitly teach my students with. That’s it. Add in lots of questions, choral response, turn-and-talk, concrete examples, active observation, and show calls, and you have everything you need for an effective and engaging lesson. In previous years, I would have turned this simple Caribbean geography lesson into a high-energy, activity-based experience: stations, a gallery walk, or some kind of puzzle or game. There would be movement, noise, and “engagement,” but most of the new information would be lost in the shuffle. Working memory would be so overloaded that very little would actually stick. Now I know teaching explicitly and simply is the most effective way to make learning happen.

French Immersion Kindergarteners grow vocabulary in both languages through play, stories, and conversation, with intentional instruction woven in. Join ONlit’s drop-in to learn how to support bilingual word learning across the flow of the day. Register: onlit.org/event/french-i…

@IDA_Ontario @liv2learn It really is!

@liv2learn This is so perfect!

ChatGPT's caricature of me. :) I think it knows me. :)

Board Literacy Leaders – our next session is next week. These gatherings help you connect, reflect, and plan for stronger system-wide literacy work. Not registered? Join us: onlit.org/event/systems-…

Join us tomorrow!

Catch up with the ONlit blog! Sentence combining helps students understand how sentences work to communicate meaning. Our December blog shows how this routine supports Ontario’s B3 language conventions within real reading, writing, and content learning. onlit.org/sentence-combi…

This piece describes exactly what we recommend for UFLI instruction: 30 minutes of whole-class + 15 minutes of targeted small group (7-8 minutes for each of the previous week's concepts) based on weekly PM data. It works beautifully.

Incredible resource for educators, administrators, and district & department leaders. Let’s get reading assessment right!

Are you passionate about literacy and making a real difference for individuals with dyslexia? Now’s your chance! Applications are open for new board members who want to help shape the future of literacy in Ontario. Bring your skills, your ideas, and your drive. Join the IDA Ontario board to help create meaningful change! We are particularly interested in candidates who can offer skills, connections, or insights in one or more of the following areas: ☑️ Business Growth ☑️ Event Planning ☑️ Fundraising ☑️ Legal ☑️ Marketing & Communications Apply today idaontario.com/board-member-a… #UntilAllCanRead

Board Literacy Leaders – our next session is next week. These gatherings help you connect, reflect, and plan for stronger system-wide literacy work. Not registered? Join us: onlit.org/fr/series/syst…

Learn how interactive read-alouds support kindergarten literacy and align with the new Ontario curriculum with ONlit’s Melissa Monette Smith. 🗓 Jan 14 | 7 PM 🔗 Register now : onlit.org/event/interact…

ICYMI - Here's a link to my webinar for teachers focusing on Questioning in the classroom. Feel free to share with your colleagues & repost. I hope it's useful! youtu.be/GRS09MgUbTs?si…

Buckle up. 🚗 A surprise bonus podcast episode of #ReadingRoadTrip goes behind the scenes of the soon-to-be-released book Reading Assessment Done Right. @thismomloves joins as a guest with @sstollar6, with @unamalcolm asking the questions. reading-roadtrip.castos.com/episodes/bonus…

🎉#LitLearn2026 scholarship applications are now open. In honour of @AliciaFromTiny, President Emerita of IDA Ontario and a lifelong advocate for literacy as social justice, one educator will receive a FREE ticket. Learn more and apply by Jan 23 conference.idaontario.com/alicia-smith-s…

Return Road Trip! 🚗 No more strategy of the week! I’m joined by Kristin Conradi Smith, Ellen Frackelton and Tammy Williams who share how we *should* teach reading comprehension strategies. (Plus they introduce me to The Wild Robot!) reading-roadtrip.castos.com/episodes/s2-e6…

The Chalk and Talk podcast has been the source for so much of my learning this year. I'm so honoured to have been on the show. Thank you @rastokke

👏 👏 👏 I spy what @burnsmk1 calls the “holy trinity” of phonemic awareness - isolating, blending, and segmenting phonemes!! 👏 👏 👏