The Toolbox for Effective Reading Instruction

Suggestions for Useful Tools for Teaching Reading

 

 

Essential Items:

· Your imagination, creativity and teaching skills

· An understanding of the key research findings on proficient reading. Please see the article Summary of Key Reading Research Findings. The article Understanding How Proficient Reading Works also has links and information on the process of proficient reading.

· An effective direct systematic phonics program! (pre-planned, well organized, direct instruction, systematic presentation, print to sound, complete code, decodable text, including sufficient practice with reading decodable text, coordinated with spelling…)  You can create your own program but it is quicker/more efficient to use an existing well organized program as an outline.  See the article Proven Effective - Direct Systematic Phonics Instruction.

 

Short List of Commonly Available Materials:

· pencils

· paper

· cardstock (for making sound cards or sound tiles)

· index cards (print the phonemic code/sounds on the index card for individual practice)

· poster board (for classroom presentation  & practice)

· pre-printed pages of tracer letters (to help younger students with correct formation)

· chalkboard/class whiteboard or overhead for classroom presentation

· individual whiteboards

· sound tiles - (phonemic code written on set of 2” bathroom tiles, cardstock tiles or magnet tiles) See Sound Tiles Explained

· PVC pipe phonics phones See Phonics Phones Explained (Includes directions for making phonics phones)

· toothpicks (great ‘pointers’ for older students who are reluctant to use their finger. See the article Key Points and Effective Activities for Establishing Proper Directional Tracking.

 

Other optional/ helpful organizational tools

· small plastic baggies (for sending home sound cards)

· larger ziplock bags (for storing phonics phones..etc)

· rubber bands (for binding stacks of ‘sound cards’)

 

Additional free information on teaching students to read is located at Reading Information and Information & Resources for Teaching Reading pages of the Right Track Reading website. 

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This article was written by Miscese Gagen a mother with a passion for teaching children to read proficiently by using effective methods. She is also a successful reading tutor and author of the reading instructional programs Right Track Reading Lessons and Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons. The purpose of this article is to empower parents and teachers with information on teaching children how to read. We CAN improve reading proficiency, one student at a time!  More information is located at www.righttrackreading.com ~ Copyright 2008 Miscese R. Gagen