It may seem counterintuitive, but texting and “text speak” can be used as a fun way to help students build foundational reading skills such as word recognition and phonological awareness. You can also use texting to generate discussions of formal and informal language and writing for different tasks, audiences, and purposes, which are necessary skills for meeting college and career readiness standards in reading, writing, language, and speaking and listening. View this short video for an overview of using texting in your classroom instruction.