Chapter 2 - A Quest for Balance
Focus Questions
- What is the history of reading instruction in the United States?
- What are the key issues in phonics and whole language instruction?
- How can classroom teachers combine the elements of both approaches to create a rich and balanced, comprehensive literacy program for all learners?
- How can a balanced, comprehensive literacy program address the goals of standards, including the Common Core State Standards for the English Language Arts?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 3 - Emergent Literacy
Focus Questions
- What are the stages of language acquisition?
- What are some of the literacy-related concepts that come into play when children from birth to kindergarten share in literacy experiences?
- How is emergent literacy defined, and how does this differ from reading readiness?
- What are the key components of emergent literacy that help determine whether a child will be successful in learning to read and write?
- What are the major influences on children’s early literacy development?
- How can parents and teachers best foster the development of emergent literacy?
- How do the Common Core State Standards impact emergent literacy education?
- What are some research-supported emergent literacy interventions for children with special needs?
- What are strategies to use with students who are in the early stages of learning to read and write while learning to become fluent in speaking English?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 4 - Phonemic Awareness
Focus Questions
- What is the relationship between phonemic awareness and phonics?
- What motivational methods can teachers use to develop phonemic awareness?
- Why is knowledge of phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle so important to emergent literacy?
- Why is knowledge of phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle so important to emergent literacy?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 5 - Phonics, Sight Vocabulary, and Fluency
Focus Questions
- How does direct, systematic instruction in phonics fit into a comprehensive approach to literacy?
- How should sight vocabulary be taught?
- What are the key components of a model phonics program?
- What is fluency, and how does it relate to comprehension?
- What are the most important factors to keep in mind when teaching phonics to beginning readers? To English learners? To students with special needs?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 7 - Acquiring Word Meanings
Focus Questions
- What is the most important way children acquire new words? How should this information guide classroom practice?
- What factors comprise an effective meaning vocabulary acquisition program?
- What are the two types of meaning vocabulary instruction, and when should each be used?
- What are guidelines for making vocabulary acquisition more accessible for English learners? For students with special needs?
- What requirements do the Common Core State Standards include regarding vocabulary acquisition?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 8 - Reading Comprehension
Focus Questions
- How is reading comprehension currently defined by reading researchers and practitioners? How does such a definition inform instruction?
- What strategies do skilled readers employ to help them construct meaning from text?
- What special challenges do English learners and students with special needs face in achieving reading comprehension?
- What are some components of an effective program for teaching reading comprehension?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 9 - Writing–Reading Connections
Focus Questions
- What are appropriate writing goals for primary-grade students? How can these goals be achieved for every child?
- How can writing workshop be used to help young children learn about print and see themselves as authors?
- How can a writing program be structured so that students write about topics that are interesting to them and write stories that are personally meaningful?
- In what ways can teachers use modeling and writing structures to encourage emergent writers to acquire the conventions of written language?
- How can “reading to write” and “writing to read” strategies be used to nurture young students’ emerging literacy skills?
- In what ways can students be supported to be effective writers across genres, and use specific text features strategically to make their writing meaningful, purposeful, and effective?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 10 - Informational Text in the Classroom
Focus Questions
- Why is informational text important?
- How will the use of informational text change with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards?
- What makes informational text challenging?
- What instructional practices can help students with informational text?
- How can instruction in the structure of informational text help students succeed in writing using this mode of discourse?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 11 - Large- and Small-Group Reading Strategies
Focus Questions
- How can shared reading be used to model effective reading strategies?
- How can teachers use guided reading to help students construct personal meanings from text?
- How can the practices of shared and guided reading be kept exciting for both the students and the teacher?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 12 - Literacy and Technology in a Balanced Classroom
Focus Questions
- How has the increased use of media in the classroom changed how teachers must think about literacy instruction?
- How has the increased use of media in the classroom changed how teachers must think about literacy instruction?
- How are visual literacy and multimodal literacy defined and how can they be incorporated in the classroom?
- How can the Internet and online resources be used in the classroom as a potent source for informational reading and writing?
- How can online communities enhance written communication and connect readers and writers across the globe?
- How can English learners be supported in learning to use technology, and how can their content learning be enhanced by using technology as a teaching tool?
- How can technological devices become effective learning tools for students with special needs?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 13 - Assessment of Early Literacy Development
Focus Questions
- What are the appropriate types of assessment for early literacy?
- How can literacy assessment be used to inform instruction?
- How does a balance of formal and informal assessment offer a more accurate picture of progress in literacy?
- How can assessment be aligned with state standards?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities
Chapter 14 - Home as Partner
Focus Questions
- How can teachers help heighten parents’ or caregivers’ awareness of their critical role in the literacy development of their children?
- What are examples of appropriate literacy activities that teachers can share with families to help promote literacy development?
- How can teachers best keep families informed about their child’s progress in literacy?
Questions for Journal Writing & Discussion
Suggestions for Projects & Field Activities