Building knowledge is a powerful component of effective literacy instruction. Research shows that it has a profound impact on both literacy development and student achievement.
Knowledge Building & Reading Comprehension
Knowledge Is Power
Knowledge Building & Reading Comprehension
Knowledge Is Power
Building knowledge is a powerful component of effective literacy instruction. Research shows that it has a profound impact on both literacy development and student achievement.
Knowledge-Building & Reading Comprehension
Knowledge Is Power
Building knowledge is a powerful component of effective literacy instruction. Research shows that it has a profound impact on both literacy development and student achievement.
Knowledge-Building & Reading Comprehension
Knowledge Is Power
Building knowledge is a powerful component of effective literacy instruction. Research shows that it has a profound impact on both literacy development and student achievement.
Knowledge Building & Reading Comprehension
Knowledge Is Power
Building knowledge is a powerful component of effective literacy instruction. Research shows that it has a profound impact on both literacy development and student achievement.
Our Approach
The Science of Reading emphasizes the critical role knowledge plays in reading and learning. Students need a well-developed knowledge base to make sense of texts, especially as they encounter more complex material and read across disciplines.
Offering content-rich curricula and resources across a wide range of topics is key to building the knowledge needed for literacy success. And its impact on learning is profound, boosting:
Reading comprehension
Vocabulary acquisition of Tier 2 and 3 words
Outcomes for all students
Student engagement and curiosity
“Knowledge seems to have a greater impact on text comprehension than do general reading comprehension or decoding skills, and knowledge may help to compensate for lower levels of comprehension and decoding skills.”
Cervetti and Wright in the Handbook of Reading Research, Volume V (2020)
Our Knowledge-Building Thought Partners
Meredith Liben
Reading Specialist and Literacy Consultant
Meredith Liben taught for over 25 years and has been collaborating with David Liben on reading reform for the past 35. She led literacy work for Student Achievement Partners for a decade after coordinating the text complexity research for the Common Core State Standards. She and David wrote Know Better, Do Better: Teaching the Foundations so Every Child Can Read, a bestseller in professional books on foundational reading, in 2019.
David Liben
Reading Specialist and Literacy Consultant
David Liben has 50 years of experience in education. He’s taught Grades 5 to 9, founded a public school in NYC with Meredith Liben, and has taught graduate education classes and undergraduates at the Community College of Vermont. David synthesized the research behind the Common Core Standards and has been working with states, districts, and publishers around the country and the world on improving reading practices since.
Featured Programs and Classroom Resources
Early Childhood Programs
Early learning texts to support knowledge acquisition
My Big World Magazine | PreK
Elementary Programs
Knowledge-driven literacy instruction for small groups
New: Knowledge Library | Grades K–5
Current nonfiction to build background knowledge
Scholastic News | Grades 1–6
Middle School Programs
Reading management platform and eBook library
Scholastic Literacy Pro | Grades K–8
Current nonfiction texts for social studies
Junior Scholastic | Grades 6–8
Professional Books
Know Better, Do Better
Fueling the reading brain with knowledge, vocabulary, and rich language
Strive-for-Five Conversations
A framework to get kids talking and accelerate language comprehension and literacy
Big Words for Young Readers
A how-to guide for teaching kids to decode and understand words with multiple syllables and morphemes
Professional Learning Services
Our literacy experts translate the latest structured literacy research into effective classroom strategies, helping your educators enhance student learning. Discover instructional courses that strengthen teaching practice in knowledge building, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
Instructing for Text Comprehension
Three-Hour Session | Virtual or In-Person | Up to 30 K–5 Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Examine and develop plans for implementing research-based strategies for text comprehension, such as self-monitoring, using graphic organizers, generating and answering questions, recognizing text structure, and summarizing.
Small-Group Instruction to Strengthen Meaning
Three-Hour Session | Virtual or In-Person | Up to 30 K–5 Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Learn how to boost achievement through effective small-group lessons guided by assessment data and flexible grouping.
Building Students’ Word Knowledge and Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Three-Hour Session | Virtual or In-Person | Up to 30 K–5 Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Word knowledge is integral to comprehension. Learn how to elevate your literacy instruction by explicitly teaching vocabulary.
Accountable Literacy Workstations: Building Student Independence
Three-Hour Session | Virtual or In-Person | Up to 30 K–5 Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Explore a variety of strategies to help you establish meaningful and accountable workstations in your classroom.
Expanding Oral Vocabulary and Creating Vocabulary Consciousness
Three-Hour Session | Virtual or In-Person | Up to 30 K–5 Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Examine the connections between oral language, vocabulary, and knowledge, and practice bringing these strategies to life in the classroom.
Research
Small-Group Topic Paper
Explore the research behind small-group literacy instruction and learn how you can align practices with current scientific evidence.
Scholastic Classroom Magazines+ Research Foundation Paper
See how Scholastic Magazines+ can play an important role in building knowledge across disciplines.
Scholastic W.O.R.D. Foundation Paper
Read about research into effective word study, vocabulary, and knowledge-building instruction, and how it informs the Scholastic W.O.R.D. program for Grades K–5.
Learning Library
Curious to learn more about what educators, researchers, and thought leaders are saying about the importance of knowledge building? Explore the learning library.
Teach Reading the Way the Brain Works Best: The Science of Reading in Practice Series, Part 5
Meredith and David Liben
Accelerate Language Comprehension with the Strive-for-Five Framework: Science of Reading in Practice, Part 3
Drs. Tricia A. Zucker and Sonia Q. Cabell
Knowledge Building for Beginning Readers
Dr. Freddy Hiebert
Knowledge Building, Vocabulary, and Comprehension: Turn Up the Volume of Reading
Meredith and David Liben
Ready to Learn More About Knowledge Building?
