We promote high-quality social studies instruction and highlight the vital role of historical content knowledge to literacy and reading comprehension.
Joined July 2024
- Tweets1.2K
- Following249
- Followers503
- Likes1.8K
History Matters retweeted
What does cognitive science tell us about reading fluency?
Join Kyair Butts, Melissa Orkin & Maryanne Wolf for Faster Fluency on Nov. 3 at 4:30 ET.
Register: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi…
History Matters retweeted
We’ve brought science + social studies into literacy through knowledge-building curricula. Now let’s bring literacy into science + social studies. Knowledge and vocabulary fuel comprehension. All teachers are literacy teachers. 👏
nataliewexler.substack.com/p…
History Matters retweeted
This. 👏
Knowledge isn’t something we squeeze in around literacy instruction. Knowledge is what makes comprehension possible.
A powerful piece from @rpondiscio on what good readers know and why content-rich curriculum matters.
thenext30years.substack.com/…
History Matters retweeted
Strategy instruction matters. But strategies can’t replace what a student doesn’t know.
Building vocabulary + background knowledge strengthens reading, oral language AND learning across content areas.
🔗: harriettjanetos.substack.com…
History Matters retweeted
Vocabulary builds more than language. It builds knowledge!
Knowledge Matters Scientific Advisory Committee member Dr. @SoniaCabell shares how content-rich conversations strengthen vocabulary, knowledge, and comprehension.
edweek.org/teaching-learning…
History Matters retweeted
Knowledge isn’t at the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy because it matters least. It’s the foundation for everything that follows.
@C_Hendrick reminds us that higher-order thinking depends on what we know.
#KnowledgeMatters💙
carlhendrick.substack.com/p/…
History Matters retweeted
Natalie Wexler argues social studies boosts literacy: more social studies time raises reading scores (unlike extra reading time), especially for low-income kids, by building knowledge/vocabulary. Louisiana, Massachusetts, Kentucky created state curricula; Delaware pilots "Literacy for We the People," pairing civics/history with writing/speaking skills via simulated hearings. nataliewexler.substack.com/p…
History Matters retweeted
🍂 Missed Season 2 of @HistoryMatrs podcast when it dropped this summer?
Fall is a great time to catch up! In Ep. 2, we explore why students need BOTH foundational reading skills and knowledge-rich instruction.
🎧 knowledgematters.org/history…
History Matters retweeted
I think some would say I'm a fairly good critical thinker when it comes to vocabulary instruction. The only reason for this is the knowledge that I've acquired over the years. I couldn't have written the Word Mapping Project curriculum even 5 or 6 years ago. It wasn't until about 2 to 3 years ago where I accumulated enough knowledge to be able to do this.
History Matters retweeted
What are we getting wrong about literacy?
@natwexler joins Michelle Brown on her Substack to talk about what real knowledge building looks like and why more isolated skills practice isn’t the answer.
Build knowledge. Build comprehension. michellebrowncl.substack.com…
History Matters retweeted
“What good readers know” matters just as much as what good readers do.
@rpondiscio makes the case that reading comprehension is inseparable from background knowledge.
Knowledge builds comprehension. And knowledge compounds over time.
Read more: aei.org/research-products/re…
History Matters retweeted
Differentiation is a hot topic. But knowledge-building means keeping content rich while adjusting the support students need to access it. As knowledge, skill & confidence grow, scaffolds come down.
From @mcglynn3:
kristenmcquillan.substack.co…
History Matters retweeted
“Phonics is necessary but insufficient.”
England’s results reinforce a critical truth: reading comprehension depends on knowledge. History, science, literature, geography, art, and music build the knowledge and vocabulary that make comprehension possible. nationalreview.com/2026/09/w…
History Matters retweeted
If your phonics lesson feels clunky or hard to follow, the fix might be simpler than you think: less teacher talk, more student practice. Listen now! 🎙️
ow.ly/FSa250ZCHZW
History Matters retweeted
Every year I take a picture of the spine of each book read in my class. I usually clumped the books together in a classroom chart. This year students are putting the books that they have read on their individual lockers. It also serves as an easy visual to see at a quick glance what each student is reading.
History Matters retweeted
"Decades of polling has shown Americans have a miserable opinion of public education (although they often exempt their children’s schools and teachers from that harsh judgment). England’s reforms provide a clear example that America shouldn’t ignore."
nationalreview.com/2026/09/w…
History Matters retweeted
Come for the Sandlot meme, stay for the argument about why “differentiation” so often misses the mark.
Same bar. Better support. More chances to get there.
New from Quill and the Classroom: The Differentiation Trap
kristenmcquillan.substack.co…
History Matters retweeted
🍂 Fall is officially here! Find a cozy spot, grab something warm, and catch up on Season 2 of the #HistoryMatters Podcast. Six episodes exploring how history builds knowledge and strengthens literacy.
🎧 Listen now: knowledgematters.org/history…
History Matters retweeted
We 👀 background knowledge explicitly included in the federal definition of the science of reading.
YES. 👏
Knowledge belongs in the science of reading conversation. Let’s make sure it stays there.
edweek.org/teaching-learning…
History Matters retweeted
"Children who come to school with less knowledge understand less of what they encounter. That makes it harder to acquire new vocabulary and information....They grow poorer and fall further behind."
New from yours truly for @AEIeducation
aei.org/research-products/re…