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40 Ways to Support Struggling Readers in Content Classrooms, Grades 6-12
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40 Ways to Support Struggling Readers in Content Classrooms, Grades 6-12


May 2007 | 200 pages | Corwin

"The book's major strengths are its ease of use and the range of approaches to address many different reading issues. You can read straight through for a host of ideas, or you can pinpoint exactly which kind of strategy to explore."
—Kristie Mary Betts, English Teacher
Peak to Peak High School, Lafayette, CO

"Bottom line: This book is reader friendly! Teachers in the content areas can quickly and easily find specific ideas to help students."
—Barbara L. Townsend, Reading Specialist
Elkhorn Area School District, WI

Help for students who are overwhelmed, feel confused, can't remember, lack language skills, or just don't get it.

In today's era of accountability, teachers are expected to help all secondary students understand complex concepts and ideas and demonstrate proficiency on high-stakes tests. To promote success for struggling readers in all content areas, expert educator Elaine K. McEwan offers 40 user-friendly and easy-to-implement strategies in an invaluable text that includes three tables of contents (traditional, topical, and problem-solving) formatted for quick and easy reference.

Each of the 40 research-based and classroom-tested techniques features:

  • An intriguing quotation or definition to grab your attention
  • A brief description of the method and suggestions for implementation
  • Recommended resources to gain a more in-depth understanding of the method
  • Research citations to demonstrate the power of the method to get results

Offering cross-references and advance organizers throughout, this book provides the specific yet comprehensive information you need to support all students with reading difficulties.


 
Problem-Solution Table of Contents
 
Topical Table of Contents
 
List of Instructional Aids
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgements
 
About the Author
 
1. Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers
 
2. Engage in Teacher and Student Think-Alouds Daily
 
3. Teach Students How to Activate Prior Knowledge and Make Connections to New Knowledge
 
4. Teach Students How to Infer
 
5. Teach Students How to Monitor Their Comprehension
 
6. Teach Students How to Ask Questions
 
7. Teach Students How to Question the Author
 
8. Teach Students How to Search and Select
 
9. Teach Students How to Summarize
 
10. Teach Students How to Graphically Organize Text and Concepts by Chunking
 
11. Use and Teach Concept Maps
 
12. Teach Students How to Mark Text as They Read
 
13. Provide Advance Organizers Before Lessons
 
14. Use the I Do It, We Do It, You Do It Lesson Plan
 
15. Provide Models, Examples, and Nonexamples
 
16. Preview and Preteach Critical Concepts and Vocabulary
 
17. Check Frequently for Understanding
 
18. Assess for Learning and for Grading
 
19. Use and Teach Content Vocabulary Daily
 
20. Teach Academic Vocabulary
 
21. Teach Vocabulary Using Graphic Organizers
 
22. Reduce the Cognitive Load
 
23. Teach the Structure of Your Discipline
 
24. Use Easy Nonfiction to Build Background Knowledge
 
25. Determine What's Hard for Students and Teach It
 
26. Provide Easy-to-Read Short Articles Based on Content Standards
 
27. Assign Oral-Assisted Repeated Reading of Content Text
 
28. Use a Variety of Oral Reading Approaches
 
29. Vary Your Models, Moves, and Activities
 
30. Design Interactive Lessons
 
31. Use the Cooperative Learning Model
 
32. Create Content-Based Cooperative Games and Activities
 
33. Vary Your Seating and Grouping Arrangements
 
34. Give Students Reasons for Reading
 
35. Develop and Use Scoring Rubrics
 
36. Increase Wait Time
 
37. Build In Frequent Processing Breaks
 
38. Use and Teach Mnemonic Devices
 
39. Schedule Writing in Response to Reading on a Regular Basis
 
40. Expect Students to Activate, Connect, and Summarize Daily
 
Conclusion
 
References
 
Index

"The format is easy to understand. Content-area teachers can quickly and easily find specific ideas to help students. Bottom line: This book is reader-friendly!"

Barbara L. Townsend, Reading Specialist
Elkhorn Area School District, WI

"The book’s major strengths are its ease of use and the range of approaches to address many different reading issues. You can read straight through for a host of ideas or you can pinpoint exactly which kind of strategy to explore."

Kristie Mary Betts, English Teacher
Peak to Peak High School, Lafayette, CO

"The parallel structure of each chapter helps the reader anticipate what is coming next by modeling a key reading strategy."

Sandra Ness, Literacy Teacher
Patrick Henry High School, Minneapolis, MN

"A key ingredient for success for any teacher who would help students using tested classroom techniques."

The Bookwatch, July 2007
Midwest Book Review

"This straightforward, no-nonsense book lives up to its title."

Curriculum Connections, Spring 2008
School Library Journal

This book has proved to be a great resource for EDUC 216. It offers a comprehensive list of ways on how to teach reading.

Professor Fidel Tavara
Assessment and Education, Ana G. Mendez University System
August 29, 2012
Key features
The book contains forty research-based and classroom-tested methods that teachers can implement to help struggling readers be more successful. The methods are arranged in numerical order from 1-40. They can be accessed in three separate tables of contents found at the beginning of the book:

1. A traditional table of contents listing methods in numerical order.

2. A topical table of contents grouping methods by categories (e.g., Cognitive Strategy Instruction; Vocabulary Instruction; Graphic Organizing; and Lesson Design, etc.)

3. A problem-solution table of contents listing methods as solutions to common problems such as:

  • Students who read it but don't get it
  • Students who don't get it, even after you've taught it
  • English Language Learners and other students who lack vocabulary
  • Students who are overwhelmed by too many concepts
  • Students who lack background knowledge about academic content
  • Students who can't read the textbook at all
  • Students who are bored, unmotivated, or sleeping in class
  • Students who are confused
  • Students who need to process what they are hearing and reading more frequently
  • Students who can't retain information for the test

Each of the 40 ways contains the following features:

  • An intriguing quotation or definition to grab your attention
  • A brief description of the method and suggestions for how to implement it
  • Recommended resources to help you gain a more in-depth understanding of the method either through independent study or as part of a professional learning community
  • Research citations to demonstrate the power of the method to get results
  • Accompanying instructional aids (where applicable)

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ISBN: 9781452294599

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