Reading Instruction That Works Fourth Edition

"This widely adopted text and K-8 practitioner resource demonstrates how successful literacy teachers combine explicit skills instruction with an emphasis on reading for meaning. Distinguished researcher Richard L. Allington builds on the late Michael Pressley's work to explain the theories and findings that guide balanced teaching and illustrate what exemplary lessons look like in action. Detailed examples offer a window into highly motivating classrooms around the country. Comprehensive in scope, the book discusses specific ways to build word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, especially for readers who are struggling. New to This Edition *Updated throughout to reflect important recent research advances. *Chapter summing up the past century's reading debates and the growing acceptance of balanced teaching. *New and revised vignettes of exemplary teachers. Subject Areas/Key Words: balanced instruction, classrooms, comprehension, decoding, elementary reading methods, engagement, exemplary teachers, explicit instruction, fluency, literacy, meaning, motivation, primary grades, reading instruction, skills, strategies, struggling readers, teaching, vocabulary, whole language, word recognition Audience: Teacher educators and graduate students; reading and literacy specialists; K-8 classroom teachers. Serves as a text in such courses as Reading Methods, Elementary Literacy Instruction, Reading Diagnosis and Instruction, and Psychology of Reading. "--

This widely adopted text and K-8 practitioner resource demonstrates how successful literacy teachers combine explicit skills instruction with an emphasis on reading for meaning. Distinguished researcher Richard L. Allington builds on the late Michael Pressley's work to explain the theories and findings that guide balanced teaching and illustrate what exemplary lessons look like in action. Detailed examples offer a window into highly motivating classrooms around the country. Comprehensive in scope, the book discusses specific ways to build word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, especially for readers who are struggling. New to This Edition *Updated throughout to reflect important recent research advances. *Chapter summing up the past century's reading debates and the growing acceptance of balanced teaching. *New and revised vignettes of exemplary teachers.

This widely adopted text provides a comprehensive guide to effective literacy instruction in the elementary grades. Distinguished scholar and educator Michael Pressley presents research-based, classroom-tested best practices for combining skills-based and whole-language approaches in the context of a highly motivating environment. The book explains the theoretical underpinnings of recommended strategies and techniques and shows how exemplary teachers actually put them into practice.

Now in a revised and updated fourth edition, this accessible text has given over 100,000 preservice and inservice teachers vital tools for systematic reading assessment in grades K–8. The book explains how to use both formal and informal assessments to evaluate students' strengths and needs in all components of reading. Effective, engaging methods for targeted instruction in each area are outlined. In a convenient large-size format, the book includes 30 reproducible tools, plus an additional multipage assessment in an online-only appendix. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download and print the reproducible materials. New to This Edition *Expanded coverage of the middle grades (4–8), including a new chapter and case study, and explicit attention to this grade range throughout; new coauthor Kevin Flanigan adds expertise in this area. *New and expanded topics: computer-based testing methods, assessing academic language, and how to use reading inventories more accurately. *Additional reproducible tools: informal reading inventory summary form, comprehension retelling forms for narrative and informational text, computer-based comprehension test comparison worksheet, revised Informal Decoding Inventory, and more.

This book has been replaced by Reading Instruction That Works, Fifth Edition, ISBN 978-1-4625-5184-2.

Now in a revised and updated fifth edition, this gold-standard text and K–8 practitioner resource provides a roadmap for comprehensive literacy instruction informed by the science of reading. Rather than advocating one best approach, the book shows how to balance skills- and meaning-focused instruction to support all students' success. Chapters describe specific ways to build word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, especially for learners who are struggling. The book explains the conceptual underpinnings of recommended strategies and techniques and shows how exemplary teachers actually put them into practice. New to This Edition *Updated throughout with new coauthor Tim Pressley; incorporates the latest research about reading development and difficulties. *Chapter on instruction for emergent bilingual learners (EBs), plus an appendix on selecting texts for EBs. *Expanded discussions of dyslexia and the role of executive function in reading. *Application tables that translate key concepts into recommended classroom strategies.

Fourth-graders around the country face new, high-stakes standardized tests, drawing increased attention to the need for effective literacy instruction in the upper-elementary grades. This essential book goes beyond political catch-phrases to examine what actually works in the fourth-grade classroom. After reviewing current research on upper-elementary reading instruction, the book takes readers directly into the classrooms of six highly successful teachers. Like the previously published Learning to Read, which focused on the first grade, Reading to Learn offers a rare view of the techniques and strategies good teachers use to engage students, help them develop as thoughtful readers and writers, and bolster self-directed learning and literate conversation. Bringing to life the complexities of day-to-day work with diverse students, the book provides inspiration and practical ideas for any teacher in the upper-elementary grades.

Many tens of thousands of preservice and inservice teachers have relied on this highly regarded text from leading experts, now in a revised and updated sixth edition. The latest knowledge about literacy teaching and learning is distilled into flexible strategies for helping all PreK–12 learners succeed. The book addresses major components of literacy, the needs of specific populations, motivation, assessment, approaches to organizing instruction, and more. Each chapter features bulleted previews of key points; reviews of the research evidence; recommendations for best practices in action, including examples from exemplary classrooms; and engagement activities that help teachers apply the knowledge and strategies they have learned. New to This Edition *Incorporates the latest research findings and instructional practices. *Chapters on new topics: developmental word study and the physiological, emotional, and behavioral foundations of literacy learning. *Chapters offering fresh, expanded perspectives on writing and vocabulary. *Increased attention to timely issues: classroom learning communities, teaching English learners, and the use of digital tools and multimodal texts.