I am a researcher, author, and former first grade teacher with an absolute passion for literacy education and how strong reading skills have the potential to change a child’s life! I have utilized my experiences teaching new, young readers to inform my practice of writing interesting and engaging books for kids of that age!
I hold three teacher certifications: Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Gifted Education. I have a real “on the ground” and “in the trenches” understanding of what it is like to be in a classroom, which many other publishers of decodable books lack. This led me to make careful, well-researched, and practical decisions about my books. I learned many lessons about educational materials and avoided pitfalls that I found myself dealing with while teaching.
While teaching, I started writing decodable materials that I couldn’t find elsewhere, but that I thought would be the most beneficial to my students. I was writing directly to what phonics skills and high-frequency words my class had learned week-by-week. This ensured that my students always had direct and targeted practice for the new skills they had recently learned. Every student in my class ended each year reading on or abovegrade level.
Having taught hundreds of children to read over the years, I saw the need to put high-quality, engaging, and decodable books in the hands of students in classrooms across the country. That is why I wrote the 200 titles of the ALIGNED Decodables! These vital tools fill the need schools’ have to inspire their students to build their reading skills and develop a love of reading!
When not writing at my home in New Jersey, I enjoy singing, painting, and spending time with my husband of over twenty years, Erik, our two children, Connor and Gavin, and our dog, Piper. (Piper pops up very frequently in the books as a fun “Easter egg” for your students!) If you have any questions, please reach out! I love to meet people working hard in this field. Christine@Decodables.com
