Reach All Readers

The essential guide to teaching literacy skills to K-3 students Reach All Readers is filled with practical tools for every kindergarten and early grade educator. This book addresses the science behind how students learn to read and how educators can apply this information in their classrooms every day. It is jam packed with research on literacy, spelled out in an easy-for-anyone-to-understand way. You'll also find evidence-based routines and activities to apply in the classroom. Learn the “how” of teaching literacy, and gain an understanding of why these approaches work. Charts and graphics illustrate concepts, so you can visualize how the big picture connects to practical applications and approaches. With Reach All Readers, teaching literacy is a breeze! This reader-friendly guide to the science of reading education will help you improve your reading instruction with research-backed strategies. Literacy expert Anna Geiger breaks down complex concepts and presents them in an easy-to-digest format. Then, she offers concrete ideas you can implement immediately. Get all the must-know information about K-3 literacy education in one place Understand the latest research on how students learn and get tools for putting that research into practice Follow concrete lesson plans and practical tips to level up your literacy teaching Develop a big-picture understanding of literacy education so you know how best to help each and every student Anyone responsible for teaching K-3 students reading, writing, and literacy skills—including teachers, homeschoolers, tutors, parents, and administrators—will want a copy of Reach All Readers.

Foreword xiii Acknowledgments xv About the Author xvii Introduction 1 How This Book Is Organized 1 Chapter 1 The Big Picture 3 The Whole Word Method 3 Why Johnny Can’t Read 3 Jeanne Chall’s Research 4 Whole Language 4 The Report of the National Reading Panel 5 Balanced Literacy’s Beginnings 5 Emily Hanford’s Reporting 5 Scientifically-Based Research 7 The Simple View of Reading 9 Scarborough’s Reading Rope 11 How the Brain Learns to Read 12 How We Learn Words 14 Key Things to Remember 18 Learn More 19 Notes 19 Chapter 2 The Science of Learning 23 What’s Memory Got to Do with It? 23 Explicit Instruction 25 How to Ensure Your Students Remember What You Teach 35 Key Things to Remember 38 Learn More 38 Notes 38 Chapter 3 Oral Language 41 The Five Domains of Oral Language 41 Oral Language Routines 43 Make Your Classroom Language- Rich 49 Key Things to Remember 53 Free Resources 53 Learn More 54 Notes 54 Chapter 4 Phonemic Awareness and the Alphabetic Principle 57 Phonological Awareness 57 Phonemic Awareness: An Overview 60 Teaching Phonemic Awareness 67 Key Things to Remember 80 Free Resources 80 Learn More 80 Notes 81 Chapter 5 Phonics 83 Code Emphasis Versus Meaning Emphasis 83 Types of Phonics Instruction 86 Guidelines for Effective Phonics Instruction 90 The Debate Between Print-to-Speech and Speech-to-Print 131 Key Things to Remember 132 Free Resources 133 Learn More 133 Notes 134 Chapter 6 Fluency 141 The Components of Fluency 141 Fluency and Comprehension 143 Developing Automaticity at the Letter and Word Level 143 Developing Fluency at the Text Level 146 Key Things to Remember 154 Free Resources 155 Learn More 155 Notes 155 Chapter 7 Vocabulary 159 How to Decide Which Words to Teach: The Three Word Tiers 160 Teaching Individual Tier Two Words 162 Teaching Tier Three Words 165 Teaching Word-Learning Strategies 168 Key Things to Remember 172 Free resources 172 Learn More 172 Notes 172 Chapter 8 Comprehension 175 What Is Comprehension? 175 Teaching Sentence Comprehension 180 Reading Comprehension Strategies 185 Putting It All Together 195 Key Things to Remember 197 Learn More 197 Free Resources 197 Notes 198 Chapter 9 Linking Reading and Writing 201 Teach Handwriting 202 Teach Spelling 203 Teach Students to Write About What They Read 206 Teach That Sentences Contain a “Who” and a “Do” 206 Teach Students to Expand Simple Sentences 207 Teach Students to Combine Sentences 210 Teach Students to Connect Sentences 210 Teach Students to Write Paragraphs 212 Other Ways for Students to Respond to Text in Writing 214 Key Things to Remember 214 Free Resources 214 Learn More 215 Notes 215 Chapter 10 Dyslexia 217 What Is Dyslexia? 217 Help for Dyslexia 222 Key Things to Remember 223 Learn More 223 Notes 224 Chapter 11 Using MTSS to Reach All Readers 225 Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) 225 Delivering Tier 1 Instruction 231 Designing Your Daily Schedule 237 Key Things to Remember 238 Free Resources 239 Learn More 239 Notes 239 Conclusion 241 Glossary 243 Index 249