Before children can make sense of phonics study, they first must learn that print conveys meaning.

In this much anticipated follow-up to their groundbreaking book, Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom, authors Jan Burkins and Kari Yates, together with co-author Katie Cunningham, extend the conversation in Shifting the Balance 3-5: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom. This new text is built in mind specifically for grades 3-5 teachers around best practices for the intermediate classroom. Shifting the Balance 3-5 introduces six more shifts across individual chapters that: Zoom in on a common (but not-as helpful-as-we-had-hoped) practice to reconsider Untangle a number of "misunderstandings" that have likely contributed to the use of the common practice Propose a more science-aligned shift to the current practice Provide solid scientific research to support the revised practice Offer a collection of high-leverage, easy-to-implement instructional routines to support the shift to more brain-friendly instruction The authors offer a refreshing approach that is respectful, accessible, and practical - grounded in an earnest commitment to building a bridge between research and classroom practice. As with the first Shifting the Balance, they aim to keep students at the forefront of reading instruction.

Small-group instruction becomes a strategic, differentiated tool for Response to Intervention in Dr. Nancy N. Boyle's new resource, Rethinking Small-group Instruction in the Intermediate Grades. In this complete and ready-to-go resource, Dr. Boyles answers key questions about transforming small-group instruction to meet RTI objectives: How can I teach comprehension strategies during small-group instruction?; How do I align high-stakes standards with comprehension objectives?; Where do fluency, vocabulary, and author's craft fit in small-group discussion?; How can I explicitly teach skills and ­promote meaningful discussions?; and How do I effectively include intermediate-grade students who function at a primary level? Rethinking Small-group Instruction in the Intermediate Grades provides sixteen options to differentiate small-group instruction. Teachers focus on reinforcing comprehension skills and strategies while explicitly teaching students how to construct basic meaning about both literary and informational texts and master the art of discourse, which leads to higher-level critical and creative thinking. Boyles shows intermediate teachers how to embed the Common Core State Standards into small-group instruction and provides all of the rubrics, checklists, planning templates, and prompts necessary to implement these instructional formats in both the book and the included CD. The useful CD also contains target sheets matched to each objective that explain how to find the best evidence to meet the objective. Let Rethinking Small-group Instruction maximize the power of your small-group instruction to differentiate your teaching and efficiently meet RTI goals and national standards at the same time.

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

A plain-English guide to teaching phonics. Every parent can teach reading—no experts need apply! Too many parents watch their children struggle with early reading skills—and don't know how to help. Phonics programs are too often complicated, overpriced, gimmicky, and filled with obscure educationalese. The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading cuts through the confusion, giving parents a simple, direct, scripted guide to teaching reading—from short vowels through supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. This one book supplies parents with all the tools they need. Over the years of her teaching career, Jessie Wise has seen good reading instruction fall prey to trendy philosophies and political infighting. Now she has teamed with dynamic coauthor Sara Buffington to supply parents with a clear, direct phonics program—a program that gives them the know-how and confidence to take matters into their own hands.

This collection of articles covers what research says about the teaching of both reading and reading comprehension--from teaching phonics to improving fluency to tackling complex texts. It offers strategies for teaching informational texts as well as fiction. Most important, it also addresses how to inspire the love of reading.