Teaching Reading: Foundational Principles for the Classroom

By Valerie Maxsam Ed.S.

Teaching Reading, Foundational Principals for the Classroom, is a book of principles and strategies that teachers and parents can use to help struggling readers become better readers. Some topics discussed in the book are phonics, building phonemic awareness and teaching vocabulary. The book is appropriate for prekindergarten through high school. The principals can be modified as needed in order to meet the need of the student. This book is not only for educators. This book is for parents, friends, paraprofessionals or any person interested in helping struggling readers become better readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483548296

Book preview

ISBN: 978-1-4835482-9-6

Table of Contents

•    What is reading?

•    What is Phonemic Awareness ?

    Examples of Phonemic Awareness Skills

•    What is Phonics?

•    Decoding Letters to Sounds

•    Why Do Some Students Struggle to Read?

    Factors Associated With Reading Difficulties

    Early Intervention is Effective

•    How do Children Learn to Read?

•    Characteristics of a Good Reader?

•    Reflection

•    How the Brain Works

•    Three Approaches to Teaching Phonics

•    Teaching Methods

•    Learning Phonics

•    Phonics Instruction is Most Effective

•    Caution

•    Reflection

•    What is Phonemic Awareness

•    Students Who Have Phonemic Awareness Can

    Students Also Can

•    How to Develop Phonemic Awareness

•    Reflection

    Word Goals

    Stages of Spelling/Reading

    Word Study Activities for Emergent Readers

    Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage (Early Beginning Readers)

    Word Activities for Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage (Early Beginning Readers)

    Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage (Middle-Late Beginning Readers)

    Word Study Activities for Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage (Middle-Late Beginning Readers)

    Reader and Letter-Namae Alphabetic Spellers

    Within-Word Pattern Stage (Transitional Reading)

    Word Study Activities for Within-Word Pattern Stage (Transitional Readers)

    Syllables and Affixes Stage (Intermediate Reading)

    Word Study Activities for Syllables and Affixes Stage (Intermediate Readers)

    Derivational Relation Stage (Advanced Reading)

    Word Study Activities for Derivational Relation Stage (Advanced Reading)

•    Questions Teachers Ask About Spelling

•    Reflection

•    Fostering Fluency

•    Strategies to Develop Fluency

•    Reflection

•    Effective Vocabulary Program

•    Strategies to Teach Vocabulary

•    Reflection

•    Comprehension Pre-requisite

•    Good Reader Behaviors (Active Reading)

•    Strategies for Active Reading

    Pre-Reading Strategy

    During Reading

    Post Reading Strategies

•    Reflection

•    Reading Programs—Section 8.a

    1. Book Club Program (BCP)

    2. Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI)

    3. Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (FORI)

    4. Four Blocks Approach (FBA)

    5. Success For All (SFA)

•    Reflection

•    Effective Reading Strategies—Section 8.b

•    Fostering Reading Motivation—Section 8.c

•    Reflection

Conclusion

•    The Ugly Duckling

•    Old Mother Hubbard

•    This Old Man

•    The Night the Bed Fell

•    The Mischievous Dog

Preface

I’ve had the pleasure of teaching hundreds of students how to read (among other things). Teaching a student to read is no easy feat. Yes, we use the data. Yes, we differentiate. Yes, we skill group. But a lot of what we do is based on trial and error. We try one strategy only to find that it works with this student but not that student. We adjust our lessons…our rate of teaching…how long we spend on a concept until we feel like we’ve exhausted all plausible options.

But take a breath.

I want to let you know that you haven’t exhausted all options. You can help your students become better readers but you may need to tweak your approach a little. Sometimes, tweaking your approach means that you have to start all over from the beginning.

This book offers foundational principles, which if considered when teaching students how to read, will yield wonderful results. It also gives ideas and suggestions for dynamic reading programs that have been shown to increase reading fluency and comprehension. This book brings together all the principles that I’ve learned over the years due to phenomenal teachers that have either affected me directly and indirectly.

I have used the foundational principles in this book for more than a decade. I have seen great results with all of my students. I have had students grow at a rate of 200% as calculated by Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA, MAP) and I have had 100% of my class meet or exceed their growth targets based on Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) testing. These principles work for grades PK through high school.

It is possible. You can do what seems to be the impossible at times—help struggling readers read. This book will serve as an extra resource for you. Read it often. Keep it close. I promise you…you will not regret it.

Your Friend in this Educational Journey!

Introduction—Section 1

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The