Reading First and Beyond

Book excerpt: Reading proficiency is the most fundamental learning skill, critical to students' success. Renowned educators and authors Cathy Collins Block and Susan Israel present an indispensable guide that will give teachers and literacy coaches crystal clear understanding of the evidenced-based instructional practices required by Reading First Legislation, along with the tools to incorporate them. The authors further expand the support for enriched classroom practice through evidence and practical how-to advice for additional domains that show proven benefits for students, including writing, metacognition and oral language. Through their explanations, teaching directions, and sample lessons, this resource bridges the gap between key research and daily reading classroom teaching. It also summarizes the educator-relevant provisions and requirements of Reading First and the No Child Left Behind federal programs. Each chapter includes: Short classroom-relevant research summaries for teachers- What teachers need to know about phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency- Lesson plans addressing each literacy domain- Components to assess learning- Strategies to differentiate for special learners, ELL, and advanced readers. Reading First and Beyond is packed with enriching ideas for all educators that will enhance their list of literacy instructional strategies, helping them achieve high levels of reading proficiency from all students.