Five From Five

In this article, Elizabeth Norton defines the intriguing Rapid Automatized Naming(RAN) task, explains why it is related to reading, and argues that RAN can be a very useful component of literacy assessment.

What educators need to know about Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)

From the Bulletin
Learning Difficulties Australia
https://www.ldaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Norton-What-educators-need-to-know-about-RAN.pdf

The Five from Five website has a new section on writing 📝

Found under the Educator Resources tab, link here 👇👇
https://fivefromfive.com.au/writing/

From DistillEd

Without attention, even the best lesson falls flat. In this short, evidence-informed guide, we break down why attention is the gateway to learning — and five practical strategies you can use in your classroom right away.

What you'll learn:

▸ Why working memory makes attention non-negotiable
▸ How to start strong with a Do Now
▸ Simple ways to minimise distractions in your classroom
▸ How to build consistent attentional habits and routines
▸ Using cold calling and turn-and-talk to keep everyone engaged
▸ How to use visuals and gestures to direct focus

As Daniel Willingham reminds us — "memory is the residue of thought". What students attend to is what they'll learn.

🔔 The description of attention as the "gateway to learning" should be attributed to Mike Hobbiss.

⚗️DistillED Explainer — Attention Without attention, even the best lesson falls flat. In this short, ...

Attacking AERO the pedantic way
Analysing the latest hatchet job

GREG ASHMAN
AUG 23, 2026

There has been recent criticism of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) by an organisation calling themselves the Australian Centre for the Public Understanding of Education (ACPUE)

Greg Ashman analyses that criticism.

Attacking AERO the pedantic way Analysing the latest hatchet job

Can Teacher Autonomy and Consistent Quality Coexist? Pam Snow features on this episode of Well-MeasurEd

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEYKpal9dsQ8&si=E6u-RAemB77bnTKO

Pam Snow’s latest blog tackling sociology’s problematic stronghold on contemporary education, in Australia and other English-speaking nations.

http://pamelasnow.blogspot.com/2026/08/edu-sociology-sad-but-important-time-of.html?m=1

💥 FREE seminar next week 💥

Monday 24 August 2026

3.30pm-4.45pm AEST

The session will look at:
✅ What the research tells us about reading comprehension
✅ Building a mental model to comprehend text
✅ Evidence-based instruction to facilitate reading comprehension
✅ Assessment of comprehension
✅ Identifying and supporting poor comprehenders

Register here 👇👇👇👇

https://fivefromfive.com.au/presentations/professional-learning-seminar-series/seminar-5-teaching-reading-comprehension-in-primary-school/

Room to improve: addressing common challenges in classroom practice is the key to narrowing gaps

By Tom Sherrington

Room to improve: addressing common challenges in classroom practice is the key to narrowing gaps I observe a lot of teachers teaching in a lot of different contexts and it’s interesting to me to see how common the challenges are from one context to another. Teaching multiple people all a…

In this episode, Melissa and Lori sit down with literacy researcher Brennan Chandler to talk about the science of spelling instruction and why spelling deserves a much bigger role in science of reading conversations. Brennan explains how spelling supports stronger writing, more precise word knowledge, and better reading outcomes.

They discuss why spelling should be taught explicitly rather than left to chance, why patterns matter more than memorized rules, and how phonology, orthography, and morphology all work together when students learn to spell. Brennan also shares why morphology belongs in the early grades, how retrieval practice strengthens spelling knowledge, and why traditional Friday spelling tests often fail to lead to lasting learning.

This conversation is full of practical insights for teachers who want to move beyond isolated spelling activities and toward instruction that truly supports literacy development.

https://literacypodcast.com/?podcast=Buzzsprout-18749310

New from Lyn Stone

For the past two decades, literacy instruction has undergone a powerful and necessary reform movement. As a result of several national inquiries into the teaching of literacy, focus on phonological awareness, phonics and the alphabetic principle has helped drag countless classrooms away from guessing, cueing and balanced literacy. But something else is happening now. A new wave is emerging, and it’s changing the way in which educators think about the English writing system itself.

Read more 👇👇👇👇

The New Wave in Literacy Instruction Principles, Practices and the Future of Word Study