In this week's Read All About It, Dr. Sam talks about something very special. It's his upcoming appearance at the SoMLA (State of Maryland Literacy Association) conference. He will be the keynote speaker on March 24. Not only that, in an evening dinner event honoring Dr. Tim Rasinski, he will conduct a live podcast with Tim. Tim will join that event virtually. Tim will be on the big screen, and Dr. Sam will be on the stage in front of 100 dinner guests. That is a sight worth seeing. More information can be found in the Read All About It post on how to register for this in-person conference. See you there! doctorsam7.blog/2026/02/21/r…

This post is based on what I said during my presentation in Canada this past week. It is important because it explains the advantages of taking a centrist point of view about the teaching of reading. It also explains why I am critical of SOME of the current legislation being adopted nationwide. The NRP identified 5 ways to teach phonics. The new legislation effectively bans all but one of those ways. That way is synthetic phonics. The NRP said that all phonics instruction must be systematic. It never said that synthetic phonics was the only systematic form of phonics instruction. If we need mandates, they should be implemented in a way that allows teachers to use all 5 ways of teaching phonics. It is assumed each teacher would do this within their district's adopted curriculum. doctorsam7.blog/2026/06/08/w…

This is a project I am doing with several literacy leaders. We are giving PD to South African teachers. They are learning how to apply Tim Rasinski's work in repeated reading to bridge the gap between decoding and comprehension. Please have a look. facebook.com/sam.bommarito.1…

Amen to that! Agents of change! They’re all over and we need to find each other!!

This week's post is one of several I've done on fluency. Fluency is more than just saying words fast. Fluency instruction should be delivered to improve prosody. Fluency can be taught. When you look at the research around TEACHING fluency, you'll find that Dr. Tim Rasinski's research on repeated readings provides the foundational research around that topic. One major misunderstanding is that repeated reading only teaches the specific words in the immediate passage that is practiced. That is not the case. Repeated reading practice also improves students' performance on the next set of words they read. doctorsam7.blog/2026/02/14/r…

If I would try- the very moving story about this song. Prepare to be inspired!

Alright, so while I explore social media i find the best and worst of our world. This is the best and most inspirational.

This week's post marks the launch of a new feature of my posting cycle. It is called Read all About it. It features what I think are the most information-rich, attention-grabbing posts online from the past week. So have a look at this week's headlines. There are many takeaways in these posts. As always, I try to include folks from a wide variety of perspectives. Enjoy Dr. Sam doctorsam7.blog/2026/01/31/r…

This week's blog is part two of a summary of my position on how best to handle the current situation in Literacy Instruction. In it, I suggest that we empower teachers by allowing them to use the tools they need to meet the varied needs of their students. These tools should be research-based and should be used in accordance with their district's curriculum. Educators should avoid taking sides. They should take a nuanced view of the research, regardless of which “side” it came from. doctorsam7.blog/2026/01/10/i…

This week's blog is a summary of my current position on how to best handle the current situation in Literacy Instruction. It will serve as a basis for two important presentations I will be doing in the near future. One is a keynote, and the other is an on-demand presentation. Remember, I have spent the past 5 years "Looking for Common Ground using Commod Sense" ©2026. I hope you find this post both informative and useful. Comments are welcome. Dr. Sam doctorsam7.blog/2026/01/03/i…

Happy Holidays – The blog resumes next week with a very interesting topic doctorsam7.blog/2025/12/06/m…

These resources are so very valuable. Thanks Tim for sharing them freely. They really do make a difference. Wishing you the best over the holidays and for the New Year!

In this week’s blog, Mary Jo Fresch talks about her newest book, The Phonics Handbook. It is a valuable resource for teachers in any phonics program. It provides up-to-date, research-based answers to all your questions about phonics. doctorsam7.blog/2025/12/06/m…

Julius B. Anthony has developed a literacy project currently being used in the St. Louis Area. It creates literacy rooms well stocked with culturally relevant books. He currently has 14 active sites. Some are at schools and some are in community centers. All are decorated with murals and have comfortable places for kids to come and read. I think this project could become a model for national projects. Have a look and listen to the interview to see if you agree. doctorsam7.blog/2025/11/22/t…

David Harris has written passages and poems to support readers using repeated reading. In this interview, he gives teaching tips on how to effectively use repeated reading at both the primary and middle school levels. He works with Dr. Tim Rasinski. Rasinski has demonstrated using that repeated reading, following his guidelines, results in Effect Sizes larger than those in phonics. By the way, David’s advice is to do both. doctorsam7.blog/2025/11/15/d…

Happy Veterans Day, Thanking all vetereans for their service. My grandkids' school had a Veterans Day event and gave all veterans some nice thank-you notes and a breakfast. Great day all around. SGT E-5 Sam Bommarito (AKA Dr. Sam)

Praying for Jamaica

Many teachers are unaware of the power of repeated reading. Repeated reading effect size is larger than the effect size of phonics. Putting the two together could be a real game-changer for teachers. This blog post gives the history behind Dr. Tim Rasinski's work in this area. It is loaded with great ideas for improving reading instruction in grades 1-5. .doctorsam7.blog/2025/10/18/f…