Teaching Word Recognition, Second Edition: Effective Strategies for Students with Learning Difficulties(What Works for Special-Needs Learners)

This highly regarded teacher resource synthesizes the research base on word recognition and translates it into step-by-step instructional strategies, with special attention to students who are struggling. Chapters follow the stages through which students progress as they work toward skilled reading of words. Presented are practical, evidence-based techniques and activities that target letter- sound pairings, decoding and blending, sight words, multisyllabic words, and fluency. Ideal for use in primary-grade classrooms, the book also offers specific guidance for working with older children who are having difficulties. Reproducible assessment tools and word lists can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2 x 11 size. New to This Edition *Incorporates the latest research on word recognition and its connections to vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension. *Chapter on morphological (meaning-based) instruction. *Chapter on English language learners. *Instructive Try This activities at the end of each chapter for teacher study groups and professional development.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. In the Beginning: Oral Language and Learning to Read Words 2. Phonemic Awareness 3. The Alphabetic Principle 4. Beginning to Decode 5. Word Patterns 6. Developing Sight Words 7. Reading Multisyllabic Words 8. Using Morphology to Read Words 9. Reading Words Fluently 10. Teaching Students Who Are English Learners 11. Older Students with Reading Difficulties Appendix A. Resources Appendix B. Reproducible Forms and Checklists References Index

About the Author :
Rollanda E. O'Connor, PhD, is Professor and Eady/Hendrick Endowed Chair in Learning Disabilities in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. She taught reading in special and general education classrooms for many years. Dr. O'Connor has conducted numerous reading intervention studies in general and special education settings, examined procedures to predict the students most likely to develop reading disabilities, and followed the reading progress of students who have received early intervention. Her longitudinal studies of intervention and assessment led to the development of Ladders to Literacy, a collection of phonological and print awareness activities and scaffolding suggestions for children at risk for reading problems, and the Handbook of Reading Interventions,which describes evidence-based interventions for struggling readers in grades PreK–12. Her current research includes exploring the effects of early, continuous intervention across the first 4 years of reading development and developing research-based interventions for students with reading difficulties in the intermediate and middle school grades.

Review :
"A valuable resource for any teacher whose responsibilities include reading instruction. Focusing on teaching students with reading difficulties, the book weaves many practical teaching ideas and strategies into the knowledge base derived from research. A new chapter on teaching morphology is a welcome addition, particularly in the context of the Common Core State Standards, which emphasize close reading of increasingly complex texts. This book provides teachers with many ideas that can be readily implemented."--Diane Haager, PhD, Division of Special Education and Counseling, California State University, Los Angeles "Yet again, O'Connor has shown why she is a leader in reading education. This second edition demonstrates O'Connor's special strength in conveying practical procedures that are true to the evidence about effective reading instruction. Chapter after chapter, the book explains the importance of teaching a component decoding skill (for example, blending, decoding multisyllabic words), translates the research about it, and provides sequenced illustrations of targeted lessons. What more could a teacher want? Because it is so conceptually well integrated and grounded in applied research, this book can serve as a guide for students, classroom teachers, and curriculum developers."--John Wills Lloyd, PhD, School of Education, University of Virginia "Essential reading for teachers and teacher educators. The tone is reader-friendly, but the content is substantial. This book addresses all aspects of learning to read words, with discussions of oral language, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, struggling secondary students, and English language learners. Each chapter provides extensive research and evidence-based strategies and activities with examples. O’Connor has managed to demystify the process of teaching word recognition to students with reading difficulties."--Yvonne N. Bui, PhD, Department of Special Education, San Francisco State University- An exceptionally well-written book aimed at elementary practitioners....Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and practitioners. (on the first edition)--Choice, 7/1/2007