Professional development in research-based early reading intervention and curriculum materials is not consistently available to special educators working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). This article provides practitioners serving elementary school students with and at risk for EBD with a variety of options for…

As reading is vital to success in life and opens the door to nearly all other learning opportunities, it is essential that educators understand why students with learning how to read. Therefore, it is key for both professionals and researchers to establish their own approaches to assist those with reading difficulties. "Developing Effective…

The implementation of effective instructional materials, such as a core reading program, by a qualified teacher is an important part of improving students' reading achievement. But selecting those instructional materials can be time-consuming. Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast created this rubric for evaluating reading/language arts…

A component of the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB) (PL 107-110) is its emphasis on the importance of systematic and explicit instruction in early reading using practices that are grounded in scientific research. The Reading First legislation (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1) within NCLB is designed to support state and local education…

The teaching of phonics, the relationship of sounds to letters in an alphabetic language like English, is important for success in learning to read competently. Noting that there continues to be much debate as to what constitutes good phonics instruction, this paper presents a rather simple but basically sound and inexpensive approach for teaching…

Intended for preschool, kindergarten, and primary grade teachers, the ideas in this book will support teachers as they plan language and literacy experiences that develop phonological awareness. Stressing that a knowledge of phonemic awareness and phonics is critical to successful reading, the authors encourage teaching all aspects of reading,…

This compact book aims to help teachers in need of new ideas in early childhood phonics. It offers a collection of word study activities for the progressive classroom using the tool of magnetic letters. Adding just enough theory to make the author/educator's point, the book shows how this simple tool can support the teaching of letters and sounds…

Intended to answer questions from practicing teachers, concerned parents, and college students about the sounds and spelling patterns of English, this book presents an overview of the structure of written words that shows readers how the sounds of English are paired with their spelling patterns. The book delineates the task of decoding written…

In a new compact and easy-to-use edition, this book presents a program that provides students with a developmentally appropriate framework in which students become proficient spellers and at the same time develop as readers and writers. The book includes the original spelling instruction program; spelling dictation lists for grades 1 to 3; an…

This book provides the tools classroom teachers need to determine which children lack the phonological awareness skills needed to become successful readers as well as to pinpoint deficiencies and address various needs. The book's unique features include the following: a comprehensive assessment that measures children's phonological awareness…

This paper discusses six instructional components that meet the literacy needs of all students and address all of the components of a balanced and comprehensive approach to reading instruction: (1) phonemic awareness (the understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of sequences of elementary speech sounds); (2) letter names and…

The understanding of "what works" in reading is dynamic and fluid, subject to ongoing review and assessment through serious research. While there are no easy answers or quick solutions for optimizing reading achievement, an extensive knowledge base now exists to show people the skills children must learn in order to read well. This guide, designed…

This book examines the studies of leading researchers who have testified in various hearings and promoted policy and legislation on behalf of skills-emphasis learning, especially those financed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The book not only identifies each claim, it also analyzes the research that backs…

This collection reflects the stance that a truly balanced approach to reading instruction will focus not only on reading but on literacy; integrate language and literacy across disciplines; attend to reading, writing, and other skills and strategies in context; and reflect a coherent integration of as broad a research base as possible. Following a…

Using a balanced approach that integrates the language arts and blends teacher and student leadership strategies, this book offers a variety of activities for teaching reading and writing and has a flexible design, making the book adaptable for use at all grade levels. The balanced approach in the book uses a compatible combination of…