Welcome! Friends on the Block is an early literacy curriculum designed by researchers for students who are struggling to read, including students with disabilities, such as learning disabilities, dyslexia, intellectual disability, or behavioral challenges. We hope you will explore this website to learn about what makes our early readers and lessons special. Most of all, we hope you will give them a try and let us know how we can support you. We want to be your friendly resource for beginning and struggling readers.
Special Offer
Free eReaders
Includes a sample of 15 of our 60 eReaders.
Games and Lessons are available for all of our Readers.
Games and Lessons are available for all of our Readers.
We're here to help! Click here to ask us your questions about your beginning or struggling reader.
Recent Announcements and Events:
Institute of Education Sciences blog features Friends on the Block!
Meeting the Literacy Needs of Students with Autism: What Do We Know and Where Do We Need to Go?
Click here to read.
Meeting the Literacy Needs of Students with Autism: What Do We Know and Where Do We Need to Go?
Click here to read.
School Dazed: Help for Moms and Dads of School-Aged Kids
The One About Learning Disabilities (March 31 , 2020)
Interview with Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba, Friends on the Block co-author
Click here to hear interview.
The One About Learning Disabilities (March 31 , 2020)
Interview with Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba, Friends on the Block co-author
Click here to hear interview.
Annual Council for Exceptional Children Convention (February, 2019). Improving the "text diet" of early and struggling readers: Selecting and adapting text.
Click here for slides and handouts.
Click here for slides and handouts.
20th International Conference on Autism, Intellectual Disability & Developmental Disabilities (January, 2019). Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD). Teaching students with intellectual disability to read using Friends on the Block, a comprehensive, text-centered curriculum.
Click here for slides and handouts.
Click here for slides and handouts.
Article Published in the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (September, 2018)
This article reports the findings from a single-case design research study on the effectiveness of Friends on the Block with 8 students with intellectual disability. The citation and a link to the article are below.
Allor, J. H., Gifford, D. B., Jones, F. G., Al Otaiba, S., Yovanoff, P., Ortiz, M. B., & Cheatham, J. P. (2018). The effects of a text-centered literacy curriculum for students with intellectual disability. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123, 474-494. doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-123.5.474.
http://aaiddjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1352/1944-7558-123.5.474
This article reports the findings from a single-case design research study on the effectiveness of Friends on the Block with 8 students with intellectual disability. The citation and a link to the article are below.
Allor, J. H., Gifford, D. B., Jones, F. G., Al Otaiba, S., Yovanoff, P., Ortiz, M. B., & Cheatham, J. P. (2018). The effects of a text-centered literacy curriculum for students with intellectual disability. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123, 474-494. doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-123.5.474.
http://aaiddjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1352/1944-7558-123.5.474
Society for the Scientific Study of Reading Conference, Brighton, United Kingdom
(July 18 - 21, 2018)
We enjoyed presenting our research at this excellent conference! In the photo from left to right are Stephanie Al Otaiba (author), Carlin Conner, Jill Allor (author), and Kristi Baker.
Teaching Students with Intellectual Disability to Read Using a Comprehensive Text-Centered Curriculum, Murfreesboro, TN (June, 2018; 2 Day Workshop)
Thank you to the wonderful people at the Center for Dyslexia at Middle Tennessee State University for doing such a great job of hosting this sold-out event!
Thank you to all who attended!
(July 18 - 21, 2018)
We enjoyed presenting our research at this excellent conference! In the photo from left to right are Stephanie Al Otaiba (author), Carlin Conner, Jill Allor (author), and Kristi Baker.
Teaching Students with Intellectual Disability to Read Using a Comprehensive Text-Centered Curriculum, Murfreesboro, TN (June, 2018; 2 Day Workshop)
Thank you to the wonderful people at the Center for Dyslexia at Middle Tennessee State University for doing such a great job of hosting this sold-out event!
Thank you to all who attended!
Testimonials:
"My students have made so much progress just since school started in August! Some of my students would have meltdowns when it came time for reading groups. Now those same children get excited for reading time every day. They love the stories especially the ones about the baby. (Sam Gets a Baby Sister and Babies Make Choices). I'm so amazed at how well this curriculum has worked for them. Now there are more special education teachers asking me about it! Thanks for working so hard to get this program up and running!! We love it!!"
Kayla Dyer, Special Education Teacher (Participant, MTSU Workshop)
Students include those with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Sharon School
Sharon, Tennessee
“BJ shows so much enthusiasm for Friends on the Block. If there is ever a reason that we miss his lesson, he reminds me and asks if we can do it later in the day. Both of my paras have commented on how much more reading BJ does in their group work. He is now sounding out words, when in the past he wouldn’t.
BJ has the ability to connect to each book that is presented to him. He enjoys talking about the characters and he remembers their names. He enjoys each and every game that he plays. He is great with building sentences. He has come so far with this program.
This program has done so much for me as a teacher. I am so proud to say I am a part of this reading program. I can actually say,
'I teach children how to read!' with this program. Thank you for developing this program!”
-Special Education Teacher, Research Project Participant
-BJ, 10 years old, Student with Intellectual Disability
"Friends on the Block lessons and games are working great! The students are always excited to find out what kind of game we are going to be playing :)"
-Giselle Moura, 1st Grade Teacher, Frisco Independent School District, McKinney, Texas
"I’ve been blown away by how well my student has responded to this program. I love how quickly Friends on the Block jumps right into meaningful text that my student can relate to. She is so engaged during our reading time now – I’m seeing really promising growth in such a short time. She’s been much more accurate in her sight word recognition – I think this is mostly due to the repetition of the words within the story but her accuracy is carrying over to reading the words in isolation as well. I’ve really been surprised by how well she’s been able to recall details and new vocabulary from the story (“ingredients”, “toppings”, etc.). She’s also really enjoyed the extension activities. She was in tears from laughter coming up with silly things to “not like” on her pizza. I also got good feedback from her mom on the work I sent home for extra practice. So far, I think what you guys have developed is spot on."
-Danielle Wesley, Special Education Teacher
-Student with Intellectual Disability, 6 years old
-Overland Park Elementary, Overland Park, Kansas
"My students have made so much progress just since school started in August! Some of my students would have meltdowns when it came time for reading groups. Now those same children get excited for reading time every day. They love the stories especially the ones about the baby. (Sam Gets a Baby Sister and Babies Make Choices). I'm so amazed at how well this curriculum has worked for them. Now there are more special education teachers asking me about it! Thanks for working so hard to get this program up and running!! We love it!!"
Kayla Dyer, Special Education Teacher (Participant, MTSU Workshop)
Students include those with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Sharon School
Sharon, Tennessee
“BJ shows so much enthusiasm for Friends on the Block. If there is ever a reason that we miss his lesson, he reminds me and asks if we can do it later in the day. Both of my paras have commented on how much more reading BJ does in their group work. He is now sounding out words, when in the past he wouldn’t.
BJ has the ability to connect to each book that is presented to him. He enjoys talking about the characters and he remembers their names. He enjoys each and every game that he plays. He is great with building sentences. He has come so far with this program.
This program has done so much for me as a teacher. I am so proud to say I am a part of this reading program. I can actually say,
'I teach children how to read!' with this program. Thank you for developing this program!”
-Special Education Teacher, Research Project Participant
-BJ, 10 years old, Student with Intellectual Disability
"Friends on the Block lessons and games are working great! The students are always excited to find out what kind of game we are going to be playing :)"
-Giselle Moura, 1st Grade Teacher, Frisco Independent School District, McKinney, Texas
"I’ve been blown away by how well my student has responded to this program. I love how quickly Friends on the Block jumps right into meaningful text that my student can relate to. She is so engaged during our reading time now – I’m seeing really promising growth in such a short time. She’s been much more accurate in her sight word recognition – I think this is mostly due to the repetition of the words within the story but her accuracy is carrying over to reading the words in isolation as well. I’ve really been surprised by how well she’s been able to recall details and new vocabulary from the story (“ingredients”, “toppings”, etc.). She’s also really enjoyed the extension activities. She was in tears from laughter coming up with silly things to “not like” on her pizza. I also got good feedback from her mom on the work I sent home for extra practice. So far, I think what you guys have developed is spot on."
-Danielle Wesley, Special Education Teacher
-Student with Intellectual Disability, 6 years old
-Overland Park Elementary, Overland Park, Kansas
The information found on www.FriendsOnTheBlock.com is copy-written by the authors. Do not reproduce any information, any part of the website, or any materials without written permission. Development of Friends on the Block literacy curriculum was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324A160132 to Southern Methodist University.
Copyright © 2016 Jill H. Allor, Jennifer P. Cheatham, and Stephanie Al Otaiba. All rights reserved. No reproduction without prior written permission.