Reading for Life: High Quality Literacy Instruction for All

✍ Scribed by Lyn Stone

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 225
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Why is it that more people can’t read and write? Why are there still so many vastly different methods of teaching literacy? Why do people still argue about it?

Reading for Life examines these three questions, addressing the less evidence supported ideas about teaching reading and writing which are still alive and well in schools all over the world. This accessible guide bridges the gap between research and practice, translating academic findings into practical suggestions and ready-to-use techniques.

Written in an approachable style and with informative graphics, vignettes and interviews woven throughout, this book covers:

• the components of literacy, including phonics, vocabulary and fluency
• the history of approaches to literacy teaching and an overview of the key figures
• government-level inquiries into the provision of reading and writing teaching
• the mindset which leads to acceptance of poor practice
• the essential components of an effective literacy program with practical advice on selecting resources to get the job done well

Reading for Life helps educational practitioners make informed decisions about which teaching methods to reject and select, and empowers parents to ask the right questions of professionals and policy makers. This book is a timely exploration of poor teaching methods and is an innovative, fresh assessment of how high quality literacy teaching can be provided for all.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication Page
Table of Contents
Notation guide
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 A simple view
The Simple View and dual coding
The Big Six
Whole language: A linguistic profile
Whole word: A cognitive load too far
Why don’t we all teach structured literacy?
References
Chapter 2 Oral language development
Why early intervention is important
References
Chapter 3 Phonological awareness
Syllables (syl-la-bles)
Onsets (on-Sets)
Rimes (rIMES)
Phonemic awareness /fə ˈ nimɪ k ə ˈ wɛ rnə s/1
Note
Chapter 4 Phonics
Synthetic phonics
Analytic phonics
Embedded phonics
Even synthetic phonics has variation
Decodable vs. predictable readers
The biggest phonics fallacy
Reference
Chapter 5 Fluency
Accuracy in word decoding
Automatic processing: Practice, persistence and patience
Prosodic reading
Reference
Chapter 6 Vocabulary
Does reading improve vocabulary?
Word families
Sight word vocabulary (SWV)
References
Chapter 7 Comprehension
What is comprehension?
A few things to remember about comprehension
Reference
Chapter 8 Underlying processes for reading
Rapid automatized naming (RAN)
Working memory
Processing speed
What can be done
References
Chapter 9 The consequences of low literacy
The school-to-prison pipeline
Shame fatigue
Mental health and literacy
References
Chapter 10 The major players
Who’s who of reading
Chapter 11 Children left behind
The Snow Report (Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children)
The National Reading Panel
The Reading Excellence Act
The No Child Left Behind bill
The National Right to Read Foundation
References
Chapter 12 Rose to the occasion
The Plowden Report 1967: It’s not broken, so let’s fix it
The Education Reform Act 1988
The Office for Standards of Education (Ofsted) 1992
The National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching 1998
The Rose Report 2006
Letters and Sounds Program released 2009
Match-funded phonics 2011–13
The National Phonics Screening Check 2012
References
Chapter 13 The Land of Oz
Deeply entrenched whole language culture
National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy
The Dyslexia Working Party
Reference
Chapter 14 The current scene
Non-profit organisations
Commercial organisations that engage in activism
Bloggers/tweeters/activists
Reference
Chapter 15 Why changing your mind is good for you
Type 1: The Lifelong Learner
Type 2: The Blissful Plodder
Type 3: The Rigid Idealist
The hard questions
Chapter 16 Cults and catchphrases
The oxbow lake effect
Reference
Chapter 17 Won’t get fooled again: Logical fallacy
Logical fallacy
Ad hominem
Argumentum ad populum/bandwagon
Straw man
This …  therefore that
Appeal to authority
Anecdotal evidence
Special pleading
References
Chapter 18 Fooling ourselves: Cognitive bias
Confirmation bias
The Dunning-Kruger effect
The anchoring bias
The halo effect
Check your bias before buying:
References
Chapter 19 Snake oil: The disappointing truth
The placebo effect: Every bite counts
The Hawthorne effect
Coloured lenses/vision therapy
Listening therapy/auditory programs
‘Brain training’
Physical movement programs
How to protect against snake oil
References
Chapter 20 Diagnosis: Dyslexia
Dyslexia myths and facts
The warning signs
Who can help?
References
Chapter 21 Teaching reading and writing: Overview
The setup
The Survival List
References
Chapter 22 Teaching handwriting
Left-handedness
Chapter 23 Teaching the alphabet
The steps:
Transition to the next stage
Alphabet teaching checklist
Reference
Chapter 24 Teaching phonological awareness
Kinaesthetic feedback
Specific uses in literacy instruction
Syllables
For reading
For writing
Manipulating sounds in words
Reference
Chapter 25 Teaching phonics
The Snowman Game
Vowels and vowel teams
Additional vowel teams
Phonics and sight words
Giant steps, baby steps
Writing lessons
Teaching syllables with phonics
References
Chapter 26 Teaching fluency
Should finger pointing be allowed?
Correcting mistakes
The performance piece
Resources
Writing aversion
The 21 Day Writing Challenge
Cursive handwriting
References
Chapter 27 Teaching vocabulary
Morphology
The –ed suffix
The Yes/No Game
Irregular past tenses
The days of the week
Chapter 28 Teaching comprehension
Glossary
Index