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HuddleTeach

Terri Bilek | Educator | Reading Specialist | Literacy Coach | PK-12

I’m Terri, and I help teachers who feel overwhelmed and unprepared for addressing the needs of older struggling readers overcome their panic and distress so they can make a bigger impact on their students. I use my 40 years’ experience, two master's degrees, and dyslexia practitioner certification to share age-appropriate resources, current information, and research-based training experiences to help educators feel more confident in teaching reading and writing so all their students can achieve! If you are not already receiving our biweekly Thursday newsletter, subscribe here:

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Featured Post

Replay: Your HuddleTeach Game Plan - Closing the Gap to Grade Level Text

Hi Reader! As a classroom teacher first—and later a reading interventionist—I’ve always stood firmly on the grade-level text hill. I believe in helping struggling readers reach proficiency as quickly as possible, so they can fully participate in the learning around them. In the past, that meant joining peers in thoughtful conversations about books and seeing themselves as capable readers. Those goals still matter—but the stakes are even higher today. Proficiency now also means passing state...

6 days ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader! You may have heard mixed opinions about including silent reading time in your classroom. But the truth is, “reading in your head” is a skill—and our striving readers need explicit instruction in how to do it well, even if independent reading time is limited. Every student, including those with the highest reading needs, can learn to read silently with purpose and stamina. Follow the path below to help them get there! Stay tuned for: February 26: Vocabulary Your Students Need March...

6 days ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader! We hope your return to school has been smooth and that you’re feeling recharged and ready to close those remaining reading gaps! As we move through the middle of the year, many students are ready to level up from syllable work to morphemic work. Morphemes are the smallest parts of words that still carry meaning—letter combinations, roots, and affixes. This is where decoding meets meaning, and it will supercharge your instruction! When students understand how words are built, they...

6 days ago • 2 min read

Hi Reader! Welcome to the last newsletter of 2025! As is our tradition, this edition looks a bit different from our typical email. Not only is it more text-heavy, but also takes a look back at some of the 2025 literacy news and research that impacts you! (Don't want to read it all on a screen? Download the pdf from our Freebie Library!) We hope you have time during this break to relax and flip through our Freebie Library and the information below. We'll all be ready to hit the ground running...

6 days ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader! In September, we talked about working memory and its relation to reading. Today we expand our discussion to Cognitive Load Theory, including mitigating it to support your older students' learning. Read on for small ways to make your instruction more effective and efficient with this group of older students! Stay tuned for: November 21: Juggling All the Needs! November 28: Black Friday Savings for You! Memory Types Cognitive load directly affects memory systems. Research describes...

over 1 year ago • 1 min read