Frankly Freddy Blog
TextProject president and CEO Elfrieda H. (Freddy) Hiebert blogs about important issues in reading research and practice.
Frankly Freddy entries (published from 2005 to 2014) have been sorted into five topics of literacy learning and instruction. Click here to download the ebook!
“Making sure the books check every box”: Preservice teachers learning to select texts for reading instruction
April 2, 2025
To be prepared to teach reading, teachers must learn what makes a text complex: how text features contribute to text complexity. They must also learn how to locate and select appropriate texts for various pedagogies and know how to differentiate based on individual readers’ needs and interests.
How Misunderstandings of Text Complexity May Have Widened the Achievement Gap
February 19, 2025
Reading scores for the lowest-performing students have plummeted to historic lows. Misunderstandings of text complexity have contributed to this achievment gap.
Using AI to Teach Word Networks
January 30, 2025
Dr. Elfrieda (Freddy) Hiebert shares tips on using an AI assistant to select words from narrative text for more effective vocabulary instruction.
The AI Story Problem: Why Stories for Children and Adolescents Still Need Human Writers
January 29, 2025
As we embrace AI’s strengths in educational content, we must also champion human storytelling that truly speaks to children’s hearts and minds.
The Power of Pictures: Nurturing Young Readers’ Motivation
January 14, 2025
Illustrations are not merely decorative elements in children’s literature. They are often powerful motivational tools that transform the reading experience.
Webinar: The New Science of Vocabulary: AI-Enhanced Approaches to Word Selection
December 12, 2024
TextProject CEO Dr. Elfrieda “Freddy” H. Hiebert, explores the opportunities to use AI to help strengthen vocabulary instruction and enhance students’ literacy skills.
Terminology, Texts and Teachers in an AI World
December 9, 2024
Dr. Elfrieda Hiebert delivered a keynote address during the Reading Hall of Fame Mentoring session organized by the Literacy Research Association on December 5, 2024.
The Science of Word Zones: How Big Data is Building Better Readers
November 5, 2024
Unlike the strict vocabulary limits of the past, scaffolded texts use language research to create rich learning opportunities. At their core is the organization of words into morphological families – groups that share the same root. This structure comes from analyzing large collections of texts to identify the word families that occur most often at different grade levels.
Revolutionizing Vocabulary Learning: AI’s Contributions to Word Selection in Education
October 15, 2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers educators a data-driven alternative to intuition-based word lists. By analyzing vast language datasets, AI tools can identify word clusters supporting text comprehension and general knowledge, as well as words with rich webs of related vocabulary.
Using Story Structure for Comprehension and Enhancing Vocabulary
September 26, 2024
By exploring vocabulary through the lens of story structure, we empower students to engage more deeply with texts and enrich their vocabularies.