Reading Instruction Information and Activities for Parents and Teachers

Teaching Reading Skills ~ Instruction Information & Resources

For Parents and Teachers

Effective for Individual, Classroom or Group Instruction

Right Track Reading

Effective Tools to Achieve Reading Success

This page empowers parents, teachers and tutors with FREE information, activities, tools and resources to help their children or students achieve reading and spelling success.

The research clearly demonstrates the importance of phonologic processing to proficient reading and the proven effectiveness of explicit phonologic based instruction in helping children learn to read. The key is translating these research findings into concrete actions parents and teachers can use.

This page shares specific multisensory activities, actual tools, practical strategies and effective techniques parents and teaches can implement to help students acquire necessary reading and spelling skills and successfully travel the path to proficient reading. FIND effective activities, useful tools, helpful tips, terrific techniques, great ideas and valuable resources. Includes instructions for making phonics phones, free decodable stories, spelling lists and more. The activities, techniques and instructional approaches described are all consistent with the findings from valid evidence based research and the neuroscience revealing the importance of phonologic processing to proficient reading.

Both Right Track Reading Lessons and Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons are highly effective direct systematic phonics programs that provide parents and teachers well organized and easy-to-use tools for teaching students to read. These effective programs can be followed as written for individual instruction. While the content of these programs remain highly effective for classroom application, presentation of some activities needs to be modified for group instruction. This page shares practical information and effective resources for successfully teaching direct systematic phonics for teachers who work with multiple students.

A special thanks to the teachers who have shared their expertise. This page would not have been possible without their generous contributions of time, talents, ideas and techniques for teaching essential reading skills to multiple students. By sharing ‘what works’, these teachers are producing results in reading achievement for students well beyond their classroom. Thank You!

Right Track Reading appreciates any feedback or input. If you have ideas or resources on effective direct systematic reading instruction you would like to share with other parents or teachers please e-mail Miscese Gagen.

Information is organized into the following sections:

I. Teaching Students to Read: The science of proficient reading, skills necessary for proficient reading and key strategies of effective instruction.

II. Toolbox for Reading Instruction Materials useful in effective reading instruction including phonics phones and sound tiles.

III. Establishing the foundation of phonologic processing: Information, activities and resources to develop specific skills necessary for phonologic processing including phonemic awareness, knowledge of the phonemic code, proper tracking, smooth blending and attention to detail.

IV. Information & Resources to Develop Higher Level Reading Skills: Information, activities and resources for advancing skills in fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and handling multisyllable words.

V. Reading Remediation ~ Helping Struggling (dyslexic) Readers Achieve Success: Information on dyslexia, helping struggling readers achieve success, reading errors, identifying weaknesses and targeting instruction and tips for working with older students.

VI. Teaching Spelling

VII. Other Information/ Teaching Considerations

TERMS of USE: All Right Track Reading articles are copyrighted 2005-2008 by Miscese R. Gagen. The information shared may be used by parents and teachers to help their children & students learn to read. Articles may be copied and distributed for educational purposes. Please retain the copyright information and Right Track Reading www.righttrackreading.com credit at the end of the articles when copying and distributing the articles. Information and resources provided by others is properly credited.

I. Teaching Students to Read: Initial information on effective instruction, the science of proficient reading, skills necessary for proficient reading and key strategies of effective instruction.

· Understanding How Proficient Reading Works - (the process of proficient reading)

· Overview of Key Components/Skills of Proficient Reading

· Key Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction

· A Terrific Free Resource for Teachers & Parents

· Direct Systematic Phonics Instruction is Proven Effective

II. Terrific Tools for Reading Instruction - Get the toolbox ready! A quick overview of materials useful in effective reading instruction

· The Toolbox For Effective Reading Instruction (effective NOT expensive!)

· Phonics Phones Explained Learn how these simple devices can be a highly effective tool in reading instruction. Includes directions for making phonics phones.

· Sound Tiles Explained

IV. Information & Resources to Develop Higher Level Reading Skills -Advancing to Skilled Reading!

Overview of Higher Level Reading Skills - What it takes to become a skilled reader

· Advanced Skills Necessary for Proficient Reading: Overview of Key Higher Level Reading Skills

Fluency

· Reading Fluency Explained: What Reading Fluency Is, How Fluent Reading is Developed and How to Help Your Child or Student Become a Fluent Reader

Comprehension

· Developing Reading Comprehension: Overview of Reading Comprehension and Specific Actions to help Students Develop Comprehension

Vocabulary

· Expanding Vocabulary Knowledge: Specific Actions to Help Your Student Expand Their Vocabulary Knowledge

Handling Multisyllable Words

· Handling Multisyllable words - Helping Students Learn How to Read Multisyllable Words

Highly Effective Technique for Advancing Higher Level Reading Skills

· Using Guided Reading to Help Your Student Advance Reading Skills (Share this with parents)

VI. Teaching Spelling ~ Helping Students Achieve Spelling Success

· Teaching Students HOW to Spell! How to design spelling instruction to not only improve spelling but also strengthen reading skills

· Effective Spelling Lessons - Beginning Spelling / Decodable Spelling Lists

· Effective Spelling Lessons - Building Better Spellers by Directly Teaching Expected Patterns

V. Reading Remediation ~ Helping Struggling Readers Achieve Success: Information for effectively helping dyslexic struggling readers achieve success

· Information on Dyslexia and Helping Struggling Readers Achieve Reading Success

· Information on Reading Errors; How to Evaluate Reading Errors and Identify Common Reading Problems and Effectively Target Instruction to Help the Student Build Necessary Skills

· Tips and Strategies for Working with Older Students in Reading Remediation

III. Establishing the Foundation of Phonologic Processing Required for Proficient Reading Information, activities & resources to develop skills necessary for phonologic processing

Developing Phonemic Awareness

· Phonemic Awareness Explained

· Evaluating Phonemic Awareness: A Free Informal Tool for Checking PA

· Free Activities to Directly Develop Phonemic Awareness Skills

Building Direct Print to Sound Knowledge of the Phonemic Code

· The Building Blocks of Written English - Why Knowledge of the Complete Phonemic Code Is Important to Proficient Reading and How to Help Children Learn the Complete Accurate Phonemic Code

· Effective Multisensory Activities for Teaching the Complete Phonemic Code (Direct Print=Sound)

Establishing Proper Directional Tracking (correct left to right processing):

· Directional Tracking Explained

· Key Points and Effective Activities for Establishing Proper Directional Tracking When Reading in Classroom Instruction

Teaching Students to Blend Sounds Smoothly:

· Blending Explained

· Key Points and Activities for Developing Smooth Blending in Classroom Instruction

Establishing/Directly Building the Foundation of Proficient Phonologic Processing of Print

· Foundational Skills Necessary for Proficient Phonologic Processing

· Activities to Establish Phonologic Processing of Print

· FREE Decodable Reading Resources (decodable stories, word lists)

Developing Attention to Detail

· Key Points and Techniques for Developing Attention to Detail

VII. Other Information/ Teaching Considerations:

· Juggling Act! Notes on Working with Multiple Students - A collection of suggestions and tips addressing age level, group size, group dynamics and special situations.

· Reinforcements! Using Parents or Volunteers to Strengthen a Reading Program

· Summary of Key Reading Research Findings

· Selecting Level Appropriate Reading Material to Help Students Improve Reading Skills

Additional information on teaching children and student to read is located at the FREE Reading Information page of the Right Track Reading website.

The tools to achieve reading success, one student at a time!