Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction

"Dispels the myths regarding culturally diverse learners and provides concrete strategies that any teacher can easily implement. The book contains current research from the most reputable sources in the field and is a must-read for every teacher." —Akina Luckett-Canty, Special Education Teacher Brighton Middle School, Birmingham, AL "This text addresses the literacy needs of learners who have been ′left behind.′" —Ursula Thomas-Fair, Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education University of West Georgia Give students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds the literacy skills to succeed! All students bring unique cultural and language experiences to their learning. Offering perspectives from experts in diversity and literacy, this clearly organized, comprehensive resource illustrates how teachers can improve reading achievement for students from diverse backgrounds by combining research-supported best practices with culturally responsive instruction. Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction connects students′ backgrounds, interests, and experiences to the standards-based curriculum. Teachers will find effective practices to help plan, implement, manage, and evaluate literacy instruction for students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This book provides: A range of interventions that support five critical areas of reading instruction—phonemic awareness, phonics/decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension Learning materials that take advantage of multicultural literature, themes, and topics Guidelines for helping students connect language and literacy tasks to their own cultural knowledge and experiences Make a significant difference in all your students′ reading success with effective, culturally responsive teaching practices!

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors 1. Teaching Children to Read - Bob Algozzine, Festus E. Obiakor, Ellissa Brooks Nelson, Jeffery P. Bakken 2. Improving Phonological Processing - Dorothy J. O′Shea, Jodi Katsafanas 3. Improving Decoding and Structural Analysis Skills - Dorothy J. O′Shea, Jodi Katsafanas, Kelly Holloway 4. Improving Fluency - Michelle McCollins, Dorothy J. O′Shea 5. Improving Vocabulary - Shobana Musti-Rao, Renee O. Hawkins, Gwendolyn Cartledge, Cheryl Utley 6. Improving Comprehension - Jeffery P. Bakken 7. Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction for All - Festus E. Obiakor, Darren J. Smith Appendixes References Index

About the Author :
Bob Algozzine is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina and project codirector of the U.S. Department of Education-supported Behavior and Reading Improvement Center. With 25 years of research experience and extensive firsthand knowledge of teaching students classified as seriously emotionally disturbed, Algozzine is a uniquely qualified staff developer, conference speaker, and teacher of behavior management and effective teaching courses. He is active in special education practice as a partner and collaborator with professionals in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools in North Carolina and as an editor of several journals focused on special education. Algozzine has written more than 250 manuscripts on special education topics, including many books and textbooks on how to manage emotional and social behavior problems. Dorothy J. (Doris) O’Shea, Ph.D., currently with the Chester County Intermediate Unit, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, taught Special Education courses at the tertiary level for more than 25 years, after receiving her doctorate in Special Education from the Pennsylvania State University in 1983. Additionally, she worked as a Special Education classroom teacher and school administrator for more than 11 years. During her 36-year career, Dr. O’Shea developed an independent line of research and scholarship related to literacy, instructional strategies, legal issues, and work with diverse families. In addition to securing extramural research funding in inclusion, instructional strategies, literacy, and personnel preparation, she is/was on the editorial board for major journals in the Special Education discipline (i.e., Multicultural Learning and Teaching, TEACHING Exceptional Children, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Teacher Education and Special Education, Behavioral Disorders, and Remedial and Special Education). Dr. O’Shea authored or co-authored over 80 books, book chapters, and/or articles in refereed Special Education journals. Since 1998, she worked as a Pennsylvania Special Education Due Process Hearing Officer and conducted more than 250 special education due process hearings on behalf of families and school districts. Festus E. Obiakor, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Manager, Sunny Educational Consulting, Shorewood, Wisconsin. He has served as Department Head and Professor, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia and The City College of New York, New York. A teacher, scholar, leader, and consultant, he has served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at a variety of universities. He is the author of more than 150 publications, including books, articles, and commentaries; and he has presented papers at many national and international conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of reputable nationally and internationally refereed journals, including Multicultural Learning and Teaching (MLT) in which he serves as Executive Editor. Dr. Obiakor is a leader who has been involved in many landmark scholarly works in the fields of general and special education, with particular focus on African American and other culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners and he continues to prescribe multidimensional methods of assessment, teaching, and intervention for these individuals. Based on this premise, Dr. Obiakor created the Comprehensive Support Model (CSM), an intervention model that values the collaborative, consultative, and cooperative energies of students, families, teachers/service providers, communities, and government agencies.

Review :
"Teaching reading is a very complex task. This book dispels the myths regarding culturally diverse learners and provides concrete strategies that any teacher can easily implement. It contains current research from the most reputable sources in the field of education and is a must-read for every teacher." "This book is appropriate as a resource for educational practitioners and as a textbook book for preservice teachers. The book offers realistic advice that is grounded in detailed, comprehensive, and practical action for culturally responsive instruction." "There is a sense of apprehension about working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. This book shows how to make a significant difference in helping all students achieve and reach their potential." "A one-of-a-kind approach to the reading instruction of culturally diverse learners. Its no-nonsense and straightforward approach is user friendly and responsive to the needs of learners with reading disadvantages." "This text addresses the literacy needs of learners who have been ′left behind.′"