Teaching Children to Read: From Basals to Books

For courses in Reading Methods in Elementary School. This Elementary Reading Methods text is the only one on the market that offers a transitional perspective to teach reading in a balanced way. It provides theoretical guidelines and methodology to combine both the use of basals and skills based instruction with a more balanced approach to teaching reading. The authors introduce seven principles that support literacy development and examine them closely throughout the text. These principles undergird the philosophical methodology pre-service teachers use to develop their own model of balanced literacy instruction.

An exciting new edition of the only text on the market to concentrate, specifically, on transition approaches to teaching reading! While offering extensive coverage of all reading teaching methods, this text's main objective is showing future teachers how "balanced literacy" programs can be developed to draw upon the most important and successful ideas from both whole language and traditional "direct instruction" philosophies. Readers learn how to make gradual transitions from traditional to language teaching, in ways that have been proven through research. Coverage begins with theoretical and instructional models, and proceeds to discussion of such fundamental skills as identifying words in print and acquiring vocabulary. Subsequent chapters detail techniques for making the transition from basal readers to books, and for designing environments that encourage learning and promote literacy. Finally, it discusses such issues as holistic assessment of reading and writing, and applying transition ideas in content areas.