In this article, the authors assist teachers who are working with young students at risk for reading disabilities by helping make sense of the large--but unwieldy--scientific knowledge base. They offer a conceptual framework for thinking about beginning reading instruction and intervention across three dimensions: the "content of instruction" (what to teach), the "delivery of instruction" (how to teach), and the "timing of instruction" (when to teach). The authors discuss each of these dimensions and describe how teachers can use them to help organize and make sense of what we know about beginning reading instruction for students experiencing reading difficulties.