This week I am completing the two-part interview with Mark Pennington about his reading program. I do this in the spirit of presenting ideas from all sides. Mark’s program is aimed at the older reader. Its foundations lie in the ideas of Science of Reading and Scarborough’s Rope. It includes direct phonics instruction for middle school/high school students. As I indicated last week, I recognize that some research indicates that such instruction does not usually pay large dividends. However, in a recent blog, Timothy Shanahan pointed out that newer studies indicate that some students could benefit from such instruction LINK. Could Mark’s program benefit some of the students you serve? Check out the links to the free materials he has provided and see what you think.
The regular readers of this blog know I am a centrist and believe that if we are to cut through the gordian knot that is reading instruction, it will take using ideas from all approaches. In the second part of this interview, we will look at such topics as vocabulary, Scarborough’s rope, and comprehension related to Mark’s program. The video starts as Mark changes from talking about decoding to talking about these other topics.
About the author (taken from the Mark Pennington Blog)
Mark Pennington is an educational author, publisher, reading specialist, and teacher. Mark’s English-language arts/reading resources help teachers apply assessment-based instruction to teach grade-level Common Core State Standards and also individualize instruction for the diverse needs of their students.
Mark has taught in the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college settings. He has also served as a district reading specialist. His MA Education (Reading Specialist) is from California State University at Sacramento. Mark received his teaching credential at the University of California at Los Angeles after graduating Magna cum Laude from the University of Southern California. Go Trojans!
Teachers refer to his books as “user friendly,” “written by a teacher for teachers and their students,” “comprehensive,” “minimal prep and correcting/grading,” “easy to individualize instruction,” and “efficient and effective balanced instruction.”
Mark and his family live in the beautiful Sierra Foothills of Northern California. In his spare time, Mark is a blues musician and avid day hiker.
Here is the link to the second half of the interview:
Scarborough’s Rope | 00:00 |
Background Mentor Text & Response | 03:28 |
Vocabulary | 6:56 |
Language Structures | 10:36 |
Verbal Reasoning | 18:01 |
Literacy Knowledge | 31:45 |
Closing Thoughts | 34:08 |
Important Links from Mark (includes link to his Teaching Reading Intervention Program):
Mark Pennington BLOG LINK
Teaching Reading Intervention full-year word recognition and language comprehension program for students ages 8-adult.

Free ELA and Reading Assessments from the Pennington Publishing Blog
Over 700 ELA and Reading Articles with FREE lessons, activities, and resources from the Pennington Publishing Blog
I hope you got many good teaching ideas from Mark’s interview. Next week, I will review some additional ideas about teaching comprehension.
Soooo- until next, Happy Reading and Writing.
Dr. Sam Bommarito, aka the centrist who uses ideas from all sides to inform his teaching
Copyright 2022 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely the view of this author and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.
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