From Phonics to Fluency Effective Teaching of Decoding and Reading Fluency in the Elementary School

Dr. Timothy Rasinski is a Professor of Education in the Department of Teaching, Leadership, and Curriculum Studies. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy education. His major interests include working with children who find reading difficult, phonics and reading fluency instruction, and teacher development in literacy education. He has published over 100 articles and 10 books on various aspects of reading education. Dr. Rasinski is past editor of The Reading Teacher and is currently an editor for the Journal of Literacy Research. He has served as president of the College Reading Association and he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association. He earned bachelor degrees in economics and education at the University of Akron and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His master's degree in special education also comes from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Rasinski was awarded the Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Nancy Padak was a Distinguished Professor of Education at Kent State University where she directed the Reading and Writing Center and taught graduate courses in literacy education. She received the honor of Kent State University Distinguished Professor. She was a part of the team that wrote the initial grant to fund the state literacy resource center at Kent State University-Ohio Literacy Resource Center (OLRC) and has been a middle school and high school classroom teacher and K-12 administrator in a large urban school district. She frequently works with teachers and has written or edited a dozen books and more than 100 scholarly articles. Nancy is a past College Reading Association President and a former Editor of The Reading Teacher and the Journal of Literacy Research.

PREFACE  

FOREWORD  

CHAPTER 1. Word Study and Fluency  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 2. Basic Concepts and Terminology  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 3. Assessing Word Recognition and Reading Fluency  

Initial Assessment  

Measuring Continuous Progress and Making Initial Diagnoses  

Diagnostic Assessment  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 4. Instructional Routines for Word Study and Fluency  

Planning a Word-Learning Curriculum  

Principles for Routines  

Types of Routines  

When Readers Struggle  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 5. Using Authentic Texts to Learn New Words and Develop Fluency  

What Is Easy to Read?  

Types of Authentic Text  

Using Authentic Text  

Just Good Books 

Texts and Phonics 

Dictated Texts  

Texts and Reading Fluency  

In Conclusion  

References  

Children’s Literature Cited  

CHAPTER 6. Teaching Phonemic Awareness  

Assessing Phonemic Awareness  

Teaching and Nurturing Phonemic Awareness through Text Play and Writing  

Teaching and Nurturing Phonemic Awareness through More Focused Activities  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 7. Onsets, Rimes, and Basic Phonic Patterns 

Beginning Letter-Sound (Onsets) Relationships  

Moving on to Patterns (Rimes) Beyond Initial Letters 

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 8. Teaching Advanced Word Patterns  

Teaching Affixes  

Teaching Derivational Patterns  

Be Creative with Word Study  

In Conclusion  

Appendix: Essential Words and Derivations for Upper Elementary and Middle Grades  

References  

CHAPTER 9. Word Walls  

What Is a Word Wall?  

Sources of Words  

Using Word Walls  

In Conclusion  

References  

Children’s Literature Cited  

CHAPTER 10. Building Words  

Making and Writing Words  

Making and Writing Words Using Letter Patterns  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 11. Word Banks and Word Sorts

What Is a Word Bank?  

Using Word Banks  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 12. Contextual Word Recognition

What Is Context?  

Why Is Context Important?  

Talking about Context  

Cloze and Maze Activities  

Helping Readers See Their Options  

In Conclusion  

References  

Children’s Literature Cited  

CHAPTER 13. Student-Created Texts and Word Learning  

What Is LEA?  

LEA: The Basics  

Obtaining Dictations  

LEA and Individual Students  

Using LEA Texts for Extended Reading and Word Exploration  

Copy Change  

In Conclusion  

References  

Children’s Literature Cited  

CHAPTER 14. Word Games  

Wordo

Word War  

Pick Up Sticks  

Match (Concentration) 

Go Fish  

Make Words with Cubes  

Word Maker Cups  

Scattergories  

Sentencing  

Other Games  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 15. Spelling and Word Learning  

Learning about Written Language through Spelling Approximations  

Discovering What Children Know about Sounds through Spelling  

Supporting Young Writers  

Parents and the Spelling Program  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 16. Beyond Word Study: Reading Fluency  

What Is Fluency?  

Why Is Fluency Important?  

Helping Students Become Fluent Readers  

Focus on Phrases and Phrase Boundaries  

Choose Texts Carefully  

Synergistic Instruction—The Fluency Development Lesson  

In Conclusion  

References  

CHAPTER 17. Teaching Phonics and Fluency: Making Critical Choices for Authentic and Effective Instruction  

Our Orientation for This Book  

The Sad Reality  

Fluency Too  

Choose Wisely  

In Conclusion  

References

CHAPTER 18. Involving Parents in Word Study and Reading Fluency Instruction  

Advising Parents  

Literacy at Home  

Reading to Children  

Writing at Home  

Captioned Television  

More Home Activities for Improving Word Recognition  

Family Workshops  

Systematic Routines  

In Conclusion  

References  

APPENDIX A: Common Rimes (Phonograms or Word Families)  

APPENDIX B: Fry Instant Word List  

APPENDIX C: Prefixes  

APPENDIX D: Suffixes  

APPENDIX E: Greek and Latin Word Patterns  

APPENDIX F: Websites for Word Study  

NAME INDEX  

SUBJECT INDEX  

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