reading (primary)

The author describes her experiences teaching first-graders to read through a program that focuses on writing and reading workshops and the incorporation of children's literature in the daily life of the classroom.

Presents an overview of a typical day in a classroom in which the Four-Blocks literacy model is used, and features descriptions of each segment of the Four-Blocks framework, with advice on implementation and management, and a selection of classroom activities.

Explains the technique of guided reading, describing the reading strategies used by good readers, discussing the reading stages students pass through, exploring the role of phonics and word study, considering assessment and grouping, and including suggested reading lists.

Presents more than two hundred word, picture, and letter sorts designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade learn letter sounds and patterns, spelling, and word meaning.

Helps primary-grade teachers plan for independent reading workshops in the classroom, describing the structure of independent reading workshops and other components of a balanced literacy program that works with other possible study units for a yearlong curriculum.

Presents a model for guided reading in elementary classrooms, including lesson plans, targeted reading strategies, guided writing support, and assessment tools.

Presents teaching suggestions and reproducible activities for first through fourth grade based on more than twenty children's books set in each region of the U.S., including the Pacific Ocean.

Describes the key elements and procedures of guided reading; provides a list of books, arranged by title and by level; and includes practical suggestions to help teachers implement guided reading in kindergarten through third grade classrooms.