7 Mighty Moves

With her extensive understanding of the research surfaced through the scientific evidence of reading and literacy development, Lindsay Kemeny offers early-childhood and elementary classroom teachers, reading specialists and other literacy educators the ultimate practitioner's guide to effective structured literacy instructional practices that are aligned with the science of reading. This comprehensive piece of literature offers the extensive "Why" behind each of the "7 Mighty Moves" she outlines in the book as well as the "Bottomline'' instructional implications for the elementary classroom that help to marry the immense research provided by the science of reading into true classroom procedures and practices. Embedded QR codes provide anyone the opportunity to visit Lindsay's classroom first hand and experience a passionate, knowledgeable and authentic classroom teacher's approach towards applying the very "Strategies for Success" she highlights in each chapter of the book. As a Classroom Teacher and Reading Specialist myself, this book has helped to fine-tune my practice to ensure that I am considering the most recent reading research and providing effective use of my literacy instructional time with my students to best maximize that time for literacy success. As the science of reading continues to inform, inspire and ignite a new desire in educators everywhere towards ensuring their practices are aligned with the research, "7 Mighty Moves'' provides the opportunity to make a new friend, learn from a new literacy-practitioner heavyweight and gain further understanding of the science of reading research all in one piece of literature. Without question, this book is a mighty staple that must be in each early-childhood and elementary educator's toolkit. Mr. Samuel Gonzalez, M.S.Ed.

This book is a MUST read for all elementary teachers! I have read a lot of professional books about reading research and this book is the perfect balance between research-based best practices and practical ways to put it all into practice in your classroom. It makes it all seem very "do-able" and leaves the reader inspired to make tweaks to your literacy instruction the very next day. It helps that the author is very knowledgeable about research but is also a classroom teacher herself. Many books about reading research don't take into consideration how to implement the research but 7 Mighty Moves is the exception to that! Would be a great gift for any new teachers (or current teachers)! Also, it would make a GREAT book to do a book study with as a school staff! Best PD ever!

I can count the reviews I’ve written on one hand, but I HAD to get in here and rave about this book! I took a break from teaching in 2017 when I had my first baby. I had taught 1st/2nd for 5 years prior to that. I also had my masters in literacy. Yet, I returned to the classroom last year (2023) and felt LOST when it came to reading instruction and all of the changes in best practices. I read through 7 Mighty Moves as if it was a suspenseful crime mystery. I couldn’t put it down! The structure/organization of information and examples of how to actually implement the strategies/ideas is incredible. I took so many notes and I am so excited to get back into my (first grade) classroom in a couple of weeks! This book really helped simplify the changes as we move from the balanced literacy framework into the science of reading. I also really loved all of the QR codes to quickly download the documents Kemeny refers to or video demonstrations. It made it so easy to download and save as I kept reading. LOVED this book and am so thankful for the hard work and incredible depth of knowledge and research poured into it. Thank you!!

"7 Mighty Moves" by Lindsay Kemeny is a refreshing and down-to-earth guide that bridges the gap between research and application in real-life scenarios. In this well-crafted book, Kemeny presents seven powerful strategies that enable readers to integrate research findings into their classroom. This book is well worth the wait if your order has been delayed. It has already garnered considerable attention for its ability to empower individuals with actionable insights grounded in research. Although the title implies it's for K-3, the application discussed in the chapters on fluency and comprehension are applicable well beyond the 3rd grade classroom. In addition, the book provides numerous links and QR codes to resources which will be a time-saving component for any busy educator. Kemeny's chapter titled 'Teach phonemic awareness with intention' provides insightful knowledge for all instructors around this topic. Lindsay, thanks for putting your heart and soul into this book. Deb Dwyer

I'm typically a review reader and not necessarily a review provider. However, when something truly resonates with me, I feel compelled to shout it to the world! Before sharing my honest review of her book, I want to begin with sharing my thoughts about the author. Lindsay has a profound knowledge of the Science of Reading (SOR), but what truly sets her apart from many other authors in this field is the way that she is able to take of her knowledge of SOR and make it accessible and palatable to all, regardless of the stage that an educator or even a homeschool parent may be in their SOR journey. As I began my own personal adventure into SOR, she played such in integral role of serving as a support system as well as partner for sharing ideas and insight. When I learned that she planned on publishing a book around transformative practices based on SOR, I knew that it was going to be something special. So many professional books geared towards teachers are filled to the brim with overly technical jargon that requires you to have a dictionary close by just to gain a semblance of meaning. Sometimes educators feel like it is practically impossible to implement those practices in a way that will garner positive change in their students. What makes "7 Mighty Moves" different is the fact that Lindsay provides a perfect balance between disseminating technical key-points and then immediately sharing ways to put those practices into action. It is truly teacher-focused; both novice and veteran teachers alike can benefit from the strategies she shares. Making adjustments to teaching practices is not easy, especially when "it's how you've always done it." However, the structure of each "Mighty Move" definitely makes each strategy feel attainable. I honestly believe that this will be a staple resource found in classrooms across the country. It is sincerely an honor to see Lindsay's passion come to fruition in this incredible text, and I know it will have a positive impact on students for years to come.

This book has something for everyone! New to structured literacy? Lindsay’s got you. She explains each component to literacy in a quick easy to read format. Then she gives you multiple ways to implement said strategy. On top of that, QR codes throughout the book shows video examples. BONUS….videos are filmed in a real classroom with real students (even the wiggly ones)!! Are you already familiar with structured literacy ? Lindsay‘s got you! I love how she explains that the science is still sciencing! She touches on some of the current hot topics still being researched in the field. Working in a balanced literacy school? Lindsay has you too!! She gives quick little statements on what you can keep doing to help students. Most importantly instead of adding to your plate with something new, you are given permission to remove something off your plate that doesn’t serve students. I connected with this book from the beginning. The foreword written by the one and only Anita Archer. The introduction that I could have written myself because like many others it mirrors my professional life as well as my mom life. Buy this book!!! It’s a gem 💎!

I have recently finished LETRS training and this book was such a great resource for giving ample ideas for what this all looks like in practice. I whole heartedly recommend this book for veteran teachers and new teachers alike. If you don't have access to LETRS/science of reading professional development I would get your hands on this book, stat! All of the "Moves" are rooted in research supported by the science of reading. The text leaves you empowered to either implement or swap out effective routines without leaving you feeling overwhelmed! I am an instructional coach and I am planning to lead multiple book studies with this text. I also supervise student teachers who are not yet receiving training on SOR, so I will be buying it for them as well. Do yourself a favor and buy this book! Then, buy one for your work bestie!

This book is a fantastic start on your journey of embedding research based strategies into your literacy classroom or at home to help your child learn to read. It introduces the key pillars of reading in easy to understand language AND provides several activities in each chapter to reinforce that skill. My favorite thing is the integration of QR codes throughout so you can scan to see video examples, additional resources, websites and more. As a college professor I have a large bookshelf of recommendations but this is one I didn’t put on the shelf because I’ll actually use it!!