National Literacy Month

At Planet Word, we believe that literacy is an issue that impacts us all. Reading is not just a skill, it’s a fundamental human right that opens doors, builds foundations for a lifetime of learning, and fosters a more empowered society. But in the U.S., literacy trends are moving in the wrong direction. Too many adult Americans can’t read at a functional level, and most students continue to fall far short of proficiency in reading.

In recognition of National Literacy Month this September, we’ve curated a selection of resources about the vital importance of literacy and the science of reading that you can view below.

What is the “science of reading”?

According to The Reading League, the science of reading is “a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing…[that] has culminated in a preponderance of evidence to inform how proficient reading and writing develop; why some have difficulty; and how we can most effectively assess and teach and, therefore, improve student outcomes through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties.”

Eyes on Reading

Journalist-in-Residence: Emily Hanford

Acclaimed reporter Emily Hanford, best known as the host of APM Reports’s Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong, is Planet Word’s first Journalist-in-Residence, curating dynamic public dialogues with some of the most important voices in the literacy community. Together, we’re igniting new conversations and working towards a goal of literacy for all.

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September 22-28, 2024

Banned Books Week

Attempts to ban books violate one of the most fundamental tenets of our democracy: free speech. Explore our curated selection of resources about the negative impact of banning books and ways to fight back this Banned Books Week.

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Literacy Matters

What the Words Say

Many kids struggle with reading — and children of color are far less likely to get the help they need. In this audio documentary, Emily Hanford examines the false assumptions about what it takes to be a skilled reader that have created deep inequalities among U.S. children, putting many on a difficult path in life.

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Featured Programs

Series

Eyes on Reading: Maryanne Wolf with Emily Hanford

September 18, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.

$15 | Friedman Family Auditorium

For better or worse, digital reading is transforming the human brain. Join Maryanne Wolf, the best-selling author of Reader, Come Home, and Planet Word’s Journalist-in-Residence Emily Hanford as Wolf presents…

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Family

Building Literacy Resource Fair: Making School-to-Home Connections

October 05, 2024 | 1:00 p.m.

$0 | Mansard Room

Washington, D.C. families with K–12 students who are struggling readers, such as those who may have recently received a Dyslexia screener notification, are encouraged to check out this free resource…

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Featured Past Program

National Literacy Month Resources

Themed Booklists from Reading Rockets

Sometimes it just takes one wonderful book to get a child interested in reading. Carefully created by Maria Salvadore, Reading Rockets’ children‘s literature expert, these booklists are for kids 0–12 years old, include lots of new titles, and emphasize quality and diversity.

Read the lists

Books about Reading (and Writing): A Reading List from Emily Hanford

In recognition of National Literacy Month, Planet Word’s Journalist-in-Residence, Emily Hanford, has curated a book list about reading, writing, and telling compelling stories.

Read the list

Science of Reading List from Emily Hanford

Want to know more about the science of reading? Check out this reading list put together by Emily Hanford for APM Reports’s podcast Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong.

Read the list

Top 10 Things You Should Know About Reading

Get the basic facts about what it takes for a young child to learn to read, best practices in teaching reading, the importance of oral language in literacy development, why so many children struggle, and more in this overview from Reading Rockets.

Read the article

Reading Universe Taxonomy

Reading Universe’s taxonomy, developed by the Barksdale Reading Institute, presents the essential reading skills, shows how they’re connected, and lays the groundwork for teaching all students how to read and write.

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  • Did you know?

    Perhaps ironically, the word “sesquipedalophobia” means “the fear of long words.”

  • Did you know?

    “Contronyms” are words that contain multiple meanings that are complete opposites of each other. For example, “oversight” means both “the action of overseeing something” and “a failure to notice something.”

  • Did you know?

    There are over 7,000 languages worldwide, but more than half the world’s population speaks only 23 of these languages.

  • Did you know?

    The first entirely artificial language was the Lingua Ignota, a private mystical cant recorded in the 12th century by St. Hildegard of Bingen.

  • Did you know?

    The 10 most-used letters in English are E, A, R, I, O, T, N, S, L, and C.

  • Did you know?

    Eels, llamas, and aardvarks, ooh my! In English, there are only four letters that appear as double letters at the beginning of a word: A, E, L, and O.

  • Did you know?

    A “deipnosophist” is a person who’s really good at making conversation at the dinner table.

  • How do you get a dog to stop eating your books?

    Take the words right out of its mouth!

  • What's the difference between a cat and a comma?

    A cat has claws at the end of its paws, but a comma’s a pause at the end of a clause.

  • The past, the present, and the future walk into a bar...

    It was tense.

  • Is there a word that uses all the vowels including y?

    Unquestionably.

  • Riddle me this

    What did the intransitive verb say when told it was pretty? (Answer: Nothing. Intransitive verbs can’t take complements.)

  • Riddle me this

    What does an island and the letter T have in common? (Answer: They’re both in the middle of water.)

  • Riddle me this

    What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it? (Answer: Short)

  • Riddle me this

    What starts with an E, ends with an E, and contains just one letter? (Answer: An envelope!)

  • Riddle me this

    What begins with a T, ends with a T, and has T in it? (Answer: A teapot!)

  • Riddle me this

    What’s in centuries, hours, and years, but not minutes, days, or seconds? (Answer: The letter R!)

  • Quote them on it

    “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx

  • Quote them on it

    “The past is always tense, the future perfect.” — Zadie Smith

  • Quote them on it

    “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” — Toni Morrison

  • Quote them on it

    “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...The man who never reads lives only once.” — George R.R. Martin

  • Quote them on it

    “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” — Nelson Mandela