There is so much going on at The Reading League Conference and I have been racing around to make sure I don't miss anything.  One of the stand-outs has been the session with Lindsay Kemeny. I knew this one would be a goodie, the entire session was centred around practical ways to bring the Science of Reading to life in your literacy block.

Lindsay walked us through her literacy block step by step, sharing not just what she does but why she does it. One of her key messages was that there is no single “right” way to structure your literacy block. Instead, your data should drive your decisions,  guiding how you use your time and ensuring your structure meets the needs of your learners. This really resonated with me. When our  Learning MATTERS team works alongside schools, we often see a range of different structures and time allocations. In iDeaL, while we provide an example of a structured literacy block, it’s exactly that, an example. The power lies in using your student data to refine and shape what works best in your context.

Lindsay also shared how she uses both the Simple View of Reading and the Reading Rope to ensure all key components of reading are addressed. She unpacked each part of her block from arrival routines, phonics instruction and close reading, to writing and small group work.