Explaining Reading: A Resource for Teaching Concepts, Skills and Strategies

This bestselling teacher resource and widely adopted text demonstrates the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of explicit reading instruction for struggling K–8 learners. The book describes 23 skills and strategies associated with vocabulary, comprehension, word recognition, and fluency. Ways to explain each skill or strategy are illustrated in real-world examples that teachers can use as starting points for their own lessons. Retaining the straight-talking style that made the prior edition so popular, the second edition has been revised and updated to reflect reader feedback and the latest research. New to This Edition Incorporates important new research on vocabulary and comprehension Stronger emphasis on embedding instruction in authentic reading experiences A chapter on teaching "big-picture" ideas about the importance of reading Revised teaching examples are even more thorough and teacher friendly.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Background to Explaining. The Foundation: Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing. Skills and Strategies to Be Learned. Explaining the Forest as Well as the Trees. How to Use Part II of This Book. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions! Part II: Examples of How to Explain. Examples for Explaining Vocabulary. Example 1: Teaching Word Meanings Directly. Example 2: Using Semantic Maps to Develop Word Meaning. Example 3: Using Context to Figure Out Word Meanings. Example 4: Structural Analysis. Examples for Explaining Comprehension Strategies. xample 5: Predicting. Example 6: Monitoring, Questioning, and Repredicting. Example 7: Imaging. Example 8: Inferring. Example 9: Look-Backs as Fix-it Strategies. Example 10: Main Ideas. Example 11: Theme. Example 12: Summarizing. Example 13: Drawing Conclusions. Example 14: Evaluating. Example 15: Synthesizing. Examples for Explaining Word Recognition. Example 16: Attending to Print Detail. Example 17: Recognizing Words at Sight. Example 18: Phonemic Awareness. Example 19: Letter–sound Association. Example 20: Decoding by Analogy. Example 21: Context and Phonics in Combination. Examples for Explaining Fluency. Example 22: Quick Recognition of Look-Alike Words. Example 23: Intonation and Phrasing. Appendix: Additional Practical Teaching Resources.

About the Author :
Gerald G. Duffy, EdD, is the William Moran Distinguished Professor of Literacy and Reading at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Duffy spent 25 years teaching teachers how to teach reading and conducting research on classroom reading instruction at Michigan State University, where he was a Senior Researcher in the Institute for Research on Teaching and where he holds the rank of Professor Emeritus. He is also a former elementary and middle school teacher. A past President of the National Reading Conference and a member of the Reading Hall of Fame, Dr. Duffy has worked with teachers and children across the United States and overseas, has written and edited several books on reading instruction, and has published over 150 articles and research studies, with an emphasis on explicit teaching and teacher development.

Review :
"As a primary school teacher with over 30 years of experience, I find the format of the book easy to follow, enabling one to find specific examples of how to explain the component parts of reading. I find the explanations for 'Inferring' and 'Main Idea' to be especially helpful... The 'Scaffolded Assistance' examples provide teachers with sensible approaches for differentiated instruction. Explaining Reading will definitely be a valuable resource in my professional reading collection for years to come." - Betsy Hodulik, primary school teacher, Spruce Run School, Clinton, New Jersey, USA "Explaining Reading is the perfect resource for preservice and inservice teachers as they attend to the most important classroom activity--teaching children to read. Our teacher candidates and cooperating teachers appreciated the clear explanations, strategies, and lessons provided by the first edition. They will be pleased to see that the second edition is even better, giving increased attention to vocabulary, teacher vision, and the purpose for reading." - Jean Rattigan-Rohr, School of Education, Elon University, USA "Duffy has done it again! This second edition improves on a classic, making critical ideas clearer and providing even more information for teachers who want to learn how to teach reading more effectively and explicitly." - Richard L. Allington, Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education, University of Tennessee, USA "What a find for K--8 educators! Experienced teachers can add another layer to their understanding of strategy instruction, while newer teachers can use the text to build a strong foundation. Duffy has taken the road map he created with the first edition and enhanced it with his focus on 'real reading' and 'keeping the big ideas in mind.' This second edition is a perfect text for college courses and professional learning communities." - Cathy Bailey, literacy consultant, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA "Consistent use of explicit instruction is a surefire way to help students make progress in reading. Explaining Reading, Second Edition, is the perfect resource for teachers who want to implement explicit instruction successfully. I will recommend this book to all of the principals and schools I support. Thank you, Dr. Duffy!" - Trudy Thoman, district literacy strategist, Sioux City Community Schools, Iowa, USA