25 Essential Language Arts Strategies to Help Striving Readers Succeed

Discover how to harness the full teaching force of the integrated language arts-reading, writing, talking, listening, and visually viewing-to support your striving readers as they work their way toward reading proficiency. The authors present seven guiding principles and 25 engaging strategies that provide the smart scaffolding uncertain readers need to take the risks necessary to learn. When essential reading skills align with fast-paced, no-fail teaching strategies, students will shine as confident readers.

• Focuses on each of the five language arts and offers five teaching strategies in each area that provide exemplary support for striving readers.
• Structures each chapter around an easy-to-follow template and includes five teaching ideas, a sample activity, text suggestions from seven children's literature selections, and an in-the-classroom vignette that demonstrates integrated language arts in action.
• Features a bibliography of engaging children's literature selections that will appeal to all children.

Michael F. Opitz, a former elementary school teacher and reading specialist, is a professor of elementary education and reading at the University of Northern Colorado and the winner of its Outstanding Scholar Award in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. He works in classrooms in the U.S. and abroad planning, teaching, and evaluating demonstration lessons focused on different aspects of literacy in K-5 classrooms. He is the author of numerous books including Read Don't Speed, Good-bye Round Robin, and Literacy Lessons to Help Kids Get Fit & Healthy.

Roland K. Schendel is a former elementary school teacher. He teaches reading at the University of Northern Colorado, coaches student teachers, and conducts reading research in elementary classrooms with striving readers and their teachers.