How Let's Find Out & Scholastic News Build Background Knowledge, Boost Vocabulary, and Make Reading Meaningful

Let's Find Out® (Kindergarten), Scholastic News® (Grades 1–3)

State Standards, DC Public Schools ELA Curriculum

• Bridge Skills and Knowledge: While phonics instruction builds decoding skills, Scholastic magazines build the background knowledge and vocabulary essential for comprehension—addressing the parallel gaps that many struggling readers face.

• Support Research-Based Literacy Instruction: Align with current Science of Reading research through systematic vocabulary instruction with multiple exposures per word, oral language development via picture walks and discussion, and comprehension practice with real-world content.

• Differentiate Instruction: Multiple formats (print, audio, video, activities) ensure every student can access content regardless of reading level. Archives allow specialists to find appropriately leveled content that still connects to grade-level curriculum.

• Integrate with Curricula Prep-Free: Standards-aligned content with complete lesson plans, videos, and activities matches DCPS thematic curriculum. Searchable archives and standards filters help teachers plan efficiently.

• Drive Engagement and Confidence: Students eagerly anticipate magazine day. Struggling readers gain confidence when they can contribute to classroom discussions using knowledge from accessible magazine content—creating a positive cycle of participation and learning.

• Meet Equity Goals: Provide enabling conditions for students furthest from success by ensuring all learners can access vocabulary-rich, grade-level content regardless of decoding ability.

When kindergarteners at Hearst Elementary School in Washington, D.C., hear it's “magazine day,” their faces light up. They crowd around their teacher, eager to see the cover—penguins, pumpkins, or planets—and dive into a new story.

For veteran teacher Beth Prince, who has taught in DC Public Schools for more than thirty years, Scholastic's Let's Find Out and Scholastic News magazines have become “a must-have part of teaching,” not a supplement. “I've used them for sixteen years,” she said. “They're engaging, they're current, and they get my kids talking and thinking.”

Prince uses the magazines every week as part of her literacy block. The accessible visuals and leveled content make every student feel successful: “Even if they're not yet reading, they can look at the pictures—‘that's a horse, that's a bunny’—and they're still part of the conversation.”

That spark of engagement is exactly what Principal Andral Hills values most. With a background in early intervention and special education, Hills says the magazines help close learning gaps that begin long before formal schooling. “Children have limited knowledge about the world; they've only been here a few years. That background knowledge is crucial for making inferences and predictions when reading. Multiple texts and materials help them build that base.”

Reading specialist Dawn Gray sees the connection between decoding and knowledge building every day. “The gaps tend to run parallel,” she explained. “Students have gaps in their phonics knowledge, but they often also have gaps in their background and vocabulary knowledge to be able to understand the text being read aloud by the teacher.”

This dual challenge means that even when Gray reads aloud to students, they struggle to comprehend without the underlying knowledge and vocabulary to make meaning. To bridge that divide, Gray uses the Scholastic magazines online archives to select articles that mirror classroom units. “If the first graders are learning about weather, I'll find an article on weather. It gives my striving readers a way to connect what we're working on in small group to what they'll hear later in class.”

When students return to their classrooms, she can see the shift of confidence. “They'll say, ‘We talked about that in group, I knew what the teacher was saying!’ That little boost is huge.”

At Hearst Elementary, Scholastic magazines are more than a classroom favorite, they're a research-informed resource that supports literacy development through engaging content and routines aligned with best practices from the Science of Reading. The approach aligns with reading research showing that comprehension depends not only on decoding skills but also on background knowledge. While the school's phonics program builds letter-sound fluency, the magazines expand vocabulary and world knowledge, helping students connect reading to real-world concepts.

In Beth Prince's kindergarten classroom, every week follows a predictable rhythm. “We start with the video first,” she said. “It gets them hooked and gives them some background before we even touch the magazine.” The video primes students' curiosity and provides a shared foundation for learning.

Next, Prince leads a picture walk using both the online slideshow and the print magazine. “We look at the pictures together, and I introduce the vocabulary,” she explained. “I'll say, ‘This is a trunk; what do you think an elephant uses it for?’ or ‘These are teeth—why do you think they're shaped differently?’ The visuals help them make sense of new words.”

This multimodal approach reflects current research showing that students need multiple, meaningful encounters with a word to retain it. Through video, visuals, reading, and discussion, students encounter vocabulary in rich, varied contexts. “Young children, especially in D.C., often haven't seen a lot of these things in person. So, it's a great way to introduce them to new things.”

Prince then models fluent reading while students follow along in their own copies. “I can say, ‘Look at the red box,’ and everyone knows where we are.” Over time, she gradually shifts that responsibility to her students. “At the beginning of the year, I'm doing the reading and 

they're following along,” she said. “But as the year goes on, more and more of them can read it themselves—sometimes even taking turns reading aloud while others track the text. It's incredible watching that growth.”

Classroom discussions strengthen oral language and comprehension. “We point out things in the pictures… What do you notice? What do you see?” These conversations, paired with the reading and visuals, deepen comprehension across all subjects

After reading, kids don’t just sit, they move! The magazines include Dance Breaks, fun, issue-themed videos that help them get the wiggles out while reinforcing learning. “Five-year-olds need to move,” Prince said. “We might dance or do quick movements that match the story. It keeps them engaged and helps them remember."

The magazines also extend learning beyond the classroom. “Parents tell me their kids are teaching them the songs. That's when you know it's sticking.”

These home connections extend what Gray sees as essential: bridging phonics instruction with meaningful content. “The magazines are not designed to follow a phonics scope and sequence—that's not the purpose,” Gray explains. “But I use them to connect that skill work to the bigger content context students are studying.”

At Hearst, Scholastic magazines are not viewed as supplemental—they are foundational. “I wouldn't want to teach without them,” Prince said. The magazines are woven into the fabric of literacy instruction, working alongside the phonics program to ensure students can both decode words and understand what they mean.

Together, these practices create a two-pronged model—systematic phonics instruction paired with rich knowledge building—that helps students both decode and understand what they read.

For both Prince and Gray, this accessibility is what makes the magazines indispensable. “Every student can find an entry point,” Prince said. “They hear me read it, then they listen to the audio, they look at the pictures, and suddenly it all connects.”

Gray relies on archived issues to ensure all students can access grade-level content. “I can find something about insects or weather that's written at an appropriate level but still tied to what their classmates are studying. That way, they're not missing out on learning just because decoding is hard.”

The confidence shift is visible. “When they go back to class, they recognize the topic and raise their hands. They're proud—they can contribute. That confidence is everything.”

For Prince, Let's Find Out is more than a literacy supplement—it's a time-saver. “It fits right into our DCPS curriculum. When we're studying community helpers or animals, there's always a magazine that lines up.”

The searchable archive makes this possible. “I love the archive,” Prince said. “I use it all the time and recommend it to new teachers—it's ready-made lesson content.” Each issue includes built-in lesson support, videos, and extension activities. “It's all there. I can pull the magazine, play the video, and we're set. No prep needed.”

Reading specialist Dawn Gray finds the searchable alignment tools especially valuable. “When I'm planning, I can search the Scholastic site by standard or topic. That's really helpful when I'm working on specific reading or writing goals with a group.”

Gray appreciates how intentionally each resource connects to the core material. “The support activities are thoughtful. Whether it's phonics practice or a science mini experiment, it all ties directly to the main idea.”

That thoughtful design keeps teachers coming back. “There's no wasted time. It's not busywork. It's purposeful, and teachers see that.”

Beyond the standards and scaffolds, joy is what keeps Scholastic magazines at the heart of Prince's classroom. “Students love it. Every year, no matter who's in the class, they love it,” she said. “The videos, the Dance Breaks—it's all pure excitement.”

Prince has even built small routines around that enthusiasm. “Students know to write their names [on their own copy of the magazine] first so we can start the video. That's the fastest they ever write their names.”

When students spot a magazine cover featuring sharks, volcanoes, or penguins, the energy in the room transforms. “You can see the excitement in their eyes,” Prince said. “I've had to teach them silent applause—otherwise they all start shouting at once.”

For Principal Hills, that spark represents something deeper. “Student interest drives engagement, and engagement drives learning. That's the goal.”

At Hearst Elementary, reading instruction extends far beyond phonics and sight words—it's about helping students understand the world around them. Prince sees that connection unfold every week. “We'll stop and look closely at the pictures,” she said. “I'll ask, ‘What do you notice? What's happening here?’ They start making observations like scientists.”

A magazine issue about teeth sparked one of her favorite moments. “They noticed that some teeth were flat and some were pointy. That turned into a conversation about how animals use their teeth differently—grinding versus tearing food.”

Those visual prompts lead to deep inquiry and oral language development. “They begin asking ‘why.’ Why does that happen? Why is it shaped that way? That curiosity is what we want.”

Each new issue brings a window to the wider world—whether it's sharks, volcanoes, or the Taj Mahal. “They're learning things they've never seen before. And that builds background knowledge that makes reading easier in everything else they do.”

For Gray, the value of Scholastic magazines is clear: “They're accessible. The content always connects to our curriculum, and it's interesting to the kids. They actually want to read them.”

The magazines do what core programs can't always do—deliver fresh, relevant content that bridges foundational skills with knowledge building. “In an accessible way, the magazines give students genuine content knowledge on topics that matter,” Gray said.

Prince agrees. “It's a really good resource for all schools. I wish every school would just get them for their kids.”

For Hills, Scholastic magazines are essential to achieving the school’s literacy goals. “Our most important literacy objective is creating enabling conditions for students furthest away from success. Vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency are always at the top of the list. Scholastic magazines give teachers the materials to target all three.”

At Hearst Elementary, Scholastic magazines have become part of the school's literacy DNA. They build background knowledge, boost vocabulary, and make reading meaningful. For teachers like Prince and specialists like Gray, the question isn't whether to use Scholastic magazines. It's how they'd teach literacy without them.