The Literacy How Professional Learning Series translates the latest reading research into how-to instructional practices. Based on the current and comprehensive Literacy How reading model, the Series draws upon the authors' decades of expertise and experience working with thousands of general and special education teachers. Organized for the busy educator who may be trying to find specific information, as well as for the professional seeking deeper understanding of literacy instruction and learning, the Series emphasizes Pre-K-3 conceptual and skill development. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics: Knowledge to Practice is for any educator who's wondered: * What is the difference between phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics? * What are phonemes and how are they organized and produced? * What are the st/ages of phonological awareness development? * What activities support the development of phonological and phonemic awareness? * What can problems with phonemic awareness indicate? * What is the ultimate goal of phonics instruction? * How should letter names be taught? * What is the connection between phonemic awareness and phonics? * What are graphophonemic connections and why are they important? * What are syllable types and why should I teach them? * Why is "invented spelling" important and when is it relevant? * What is the role of code-emphasis (aka decodable) text in learning to read? "Authors Eberhardt and Gillis set the Phonemic Awareness stage providing two brief, but necessary, sections to build and confirm prior knowledge in this foundational component of beginning reading. Para professionals, novice and veteran teachers will benefit from the Relevant Research and Knowledge for Effective Instruction sections. The book's gem is found in the robust Activities for Instruction and Informal Assessment section. User-friendly activities are organized by domains and sequenced by stages of reading development. To be sure that teachers are not teaching skills in isolation without opportunities for transfer to text, Text Analysis examples are presented in the same order as the activities. This brilliant addition is often missed by many authors of this subject area. This addition to Literacy How Professional Learning Series will provide awesome professional development for teachers, administrators and Paraprofessionals. Relevant references for informal assessments and resources add to the book's appeal." Sheryl Ferlito, Ed.S., co-author of Sortegories, contributing writer of Language! and Language! Live, Special Education teacher/learning consultant "Gillis and Eberhardt have condensed so much information into a manageable sized text. This is the kind of knowledge and accompanying practices that make such a difference in teachers' ability to move the needle for struggling readers. The activities they present are really solid and would be easy for teachers to do. This knowledge to practice approach is missing in a lot of resources out there for teachers. Everyone interested in understanding and guiding the reading development of children should be excited that Gillis and Eberhardt are now making the deep knowledge and exemplary practices of Literacy How available to us all in this book series." Bob Cunningham, Advisor on Learning and Attention Issues to Understood.org and Noted Education Leader

This volume is designed to prevent and correct most word-level reading difficulties. It trains phonemic awareness and promotes sight vocabulary acquisition, and therefore reading fluency.

This invaluable supplementary curriculum meets Reading First criteria and contains numerous classroom-ready activities designed to increase the phonemic awareness and preliteracy skills of preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade students.

Practical, effective, evidence-based reading interventions thatchange students' lives Essentials of Understanding and Assessing ReadingDifficulties is a practical, accessible, in-depth guide toreading assessment and intervention. It provides a detaileddiscussion of the nature and causes of reading difficulties, whichwill help develop the knowledge and confidence needed to accuratelyassess why a student is struggling. Readers will learn aframework for organizing testing results from current assessmentbatteries such as the WJ-IV, KTEA-3, and CTOPP-2. Case studiesillustrate each of the concepts covered. A thorough discussion isprovided on the assessment of phonics skills, phonologicalawareness, word recognition, reading fluency, and readingcomprehension. Formatted for easy reading as well as quickreference, the text includes bullet points, icons, callout boxes,and other design elements to call attention to importantinformation. Although a substantial amount of research has shown that mostreading difficulties can be prevented or corrected, standardreading remediation efforts have proven largely ineffective. Schoolpsychologists are routinely called upon to evaluate students withreading difficulties and to make recommendations to address suchdifficulties. This book provides an overview of the best assessmentand intervention techniques, backed by the most current researchfindings. Bridge the gap between research and practice Accurately assess the reason(s) why a student strugglesin reading Improve reading skills using the most highly effectiveevidence-based techniques Reading may well be the most important thing students are taughtduring their school careers. It is a skill they will use every dayof their lives; one that will dictate, in part, later life success.Struggling students need help now, and Essentials ofUnderstanding and Assessing Reading Difficulties shows how toget these students on track.

A devastatingly large number of people in America cannot read as well as they need for success in life. With literacy problems plaguing as many as four in ten children in America, this book discusses how best to help children succeed in reading. This book identifies the most important questions and explores the authoritative answers on the topic of how children can grow into readers, including: What are the key elements all children need in order to become good readers? What can parents and caregivers provide all children so that they are prepared for reading instruction by the time that they get to school? What concepts about language and literacy should be included in beginning reading instruction? How can we prevent reading difficulties starting with infants and into the early grades? What to ask school boards, principals, elected officials, and other policy makers who make decisions regarding early reading instruction. You'll find out how to help youngsters build word recognition, avoid comprehension problems, and moreâ€"with checklists of specific accomplishments to be expected at different ages: for very young children, for kindergarten students, and for first, second, and third grade students. Included are 55 activities to do with children to help them become successful readers, a list of recommended children's books, and a guide to CD-ROMs and websites. Great strides have been made recently toward identifying the best ways to teach children to read. Starting Out Right provides a wealth of knowledge based on a summary of extensive research. It is a "must read" for specialists in primary education as well as parents, pediatricians, child care providers, tutors, literacy advocates, policy makers, and teachers.