When Young Readers Get Stuck

What should teachers do when a young reader is stuck on a word? Should they tell the child what the word is? Or prompt her to look at the picture? To guess based on context? Sound it out? What should they do if a child reads the word but doesn't know what it means, or what the larger text means?

These are fundamental questions early-grade teachers face every day. Yet they are riddled with controversy and mixed messages. It's important that education leaders have research-informed answers to these questions and can support teachers' learning about them. As someone who's spent decades conducting and reviewing research about reading, I'd like to offer guidance on these questions, based on current research.