Word Study for Literacy Leaders: Guiding Professional Learning

Written and edited by experts in the field, this book provides a blueprint for weaving effective word study into the fabric of classrooms and schools. Provided are principles, ideas, materials, and activities for use with teachers in a range of professional learning contexts. Key topics include word study foundations and orthographic knowledge; implementing collaborative coaching models, "learning huddles," and workshops; and word study strategies for young children, emergent bilingual students, and adolescents. Helpful reproducible tools include the empirically validated Word Study Classroom Observation Guide. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.
 

Anne C. Ittner, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Literacy Education at St. Cloud State University. Dr. Ittner taught for many years in elementary school settings as a classroom teacher and English language teacher. She has worked as a literacy coach with the Path to Reading Excellence at School Sites Project at the Minnesota Center for Reading Research and served on the faculty at Western Oregon University. Her research interests include professional learning, literacy coaching, early reading instruction and assessment for multilingual learners, and online learning for teacher candidates.
 
Amy Frederick, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy Education at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, where she teaches undergraduate reading courses and is Director of the Graduate Reading Program. Before earning her doctorate, Dr. Frederick was an elementary teacher of English learners, a professional development specialist for multilingual programs, and a literacy coach in Saint Paul, Minnesota, public schools. Her research interests are at the intersection of language development, literacy learning, and teacher education.
 
Darl Kiernan, PhD, is a Professional Learning Leader with the Northeastern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program, where she works with educators and administrators in six rural districts. A former special educator and classroom teacher, Dr. Kiernan has taught students across the elementary grades. She has also served as a reading specialist and university instructor, and she provided oversight for English language arts statewide for the Nevada Department of Education. She is a recipient of the Celebrate Literacy Award from the International Literacy Association.
 
Donald R. Bear, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in Literacy Studies at Iowa State University and the University of Nevada, Reno, where he directed literacy centers and taught at all levels. A leader in literacy education, Dr. Bear is author or coauthor of numerous articles and chapters and 17 books. His research explores the synchrony of literacy development from beginning concept of word in prekindergarten to how morphology underlies academic vocabulary learning. He is a recipient of awards for teaching and service and has served on boards and advisory groups for professional organizations.