I taught public school fifth graders a long time ago, sometimes called “Old

School.” At least it seems like it these days. However, there’s one thing that never changes: reading. If you’ve been reading my columns this past year, you know that I believe reading should be the highest teaching priority. Since you are reading this column, you, too, have learned to read. But what are teachers required to teach and what demands priority in their classroom?

First, we look at all thing...