Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom 1st Edition by Jan Burkins, ISBN-13: 978-1625315106
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- Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers; 1st edition (February 18, 2021)
- Language: English
- 203 pages
- ISBN-10: 1625315104
- ISBN-13: 978-1625315106
The current emphasis on the body of research known as the “Science of Reading” has renewed the reading wars and raised challenging questions for balanced literacy teachers about the best way to teach reading. Instead of fueling the debate, Dr. Jan Burkins and Kari Yates have immersed themselves in the research and produced Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom.
This concise and practical guide integrates effective reading strategies from each perspective. Every chapter of Shifting the Balance focuses on one of the six simple and scientifically sound shifts reading teachers can make to strengthen their approach to early reading instruction in these areas:
- Reading Comprehension
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- High-Frequency Words
- Cueing Systems
- Text Selection
Practical Instruction for Primary Grades: Whether your students are just learning to read or building more advanced reading comprehensive skills, Shifting the Balance is designed to help teachers meet the instructional needs of K-2 students.
Six Manageable Shifts: Each chapter focuses on a key shift that helps educators understand common misconceptions and adjust their thinking around some common instructional practices that teachers have been using for decades.
Evidence-Based Instruction: Burkins and Yates offer busy educators a blueprint for integrating finding from brain research, cognitive science, and child development into their daily instruction, while keeping meaningful experiences with books a priority.
Classroom Applications: Shifting the Balance is full of sample activities and classroom vignettes that paint a picture of what these shifts look like in action with roomful of learners.
Table of Contents:
Cover
Endorsement Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction Embracing Science and Balance
Shift 1 Rethinking How Reading Comprehension Begins
Clearing Up Some Confusion
Misunderstanding 1Reading comprehension begins with print
Misunderstanding 2 Understanding spoken language and understanding written language are two different things
Misunderstanding 3 If children have strong oral language, they have most of what they need to learn to read
Misunderstanding 4 Successful comprehension in beginning reading texts means that reading comprehension is on track
A Short Summary of the Science
Recommendations for Making the Shift
Shift 2 Recommitting to Phonemic Awareness Instruction
Clearing Up Some Confusion
Misunderstanding 1 Phonemic awareness develops naturally
Misunderstanding 2 Phonemic awareness and phonics are the same thing
Misunderstanding 3 Once children know all their letters and sounds, they will be able to read
Misunderstanding 4 Phonemic awareness is mostly a readiness or prereading skill
Misunderstanding 5 Intentional phonemic awareness instruction takes a lot of time or fancy resources
A Short Summary of the Science
Recommendations for Making the Shift
Shift 3 Reimagining the Way We Teach Phonics
Clearing Up Some Confusion
Misunderstanding 1 Learning to recognize letters is just like learning to recognize any other object
Misunderstanding 2 Strengthening phonics instruction means purchasing a program
Misunderstanding 3 Phonics isn’t really worth teaching because English is unpredictable and its spellings are unreliable
Misunderstanding 4 If you have a strong scope and sequence and solid instructional routines, you have systematic phonics instruction
Misunderstanding 5 Learning phonics is boring
A Short Summary of the Science
Recommendations for Making the Shift
Shift 4 Revisiting High-Frequency Word Instruction
Clearing Up Some Confusion
Misunderstanding 1 Sight words are the same as high-frequency words
Misunderstanding 2 High-frequency words can’t be decoded
Misunderstanding 3 Children just need to memorize irregularly spelled high-frequency words as whole units
Misunderstanding 4 The best way to learn high-frequency words is to practice reading, writing, and/or chanting the letters over and over
Misunderstanding 5 If you can read a word, you know it
A Short Summary of the Science
Recommendations for Making the Shift
Shift 5 Reinventing the Ways We Use MSV (3 Cueing Systems)
Clearing Up Some Confusion
Misunderstanding 1 We need to avoid telling students to “sound it out.”
Misunderstanding 2 When they are problem solving, children should first ask “What would make sense?”
Misunderstanding 3 Children don’t need to use all of the print to read
Misunderstanding 4 The primary reason to teach children to decode is to problem solve the word in the moment
A Short Summary of the Science
Recommendations for Making the Shift
Shift 6 Reconsidering Texts for Beginning Readers
Clearing Up Some Confusion
Misunderstanding 1 Decodable texts are loaded with problems
Misunderstanding 2 Predictable texts make learning to read easier
Misunderstanding 3 Using meaning as the go-to source of information will teach children to comprehend
Misunderstanding 4 As long as kids are spending time with books every day they will become better readers
A Short Summary of the Science
Recommendations for Making the Shift
Afterword
References
Index
Inside Backcover
Dr. Jan Burkins is a full-time consultant and writer. She has served as a classroom teacher, a literacy coach, a district literacy leader, and a regional consultant for the state of Georgia. She has published 5 other books about literacy, including the groundbreaking titles, Preventing Misguided Reading (with Melody Croft) and Who’s Doing the Work? (with Kim Yaris). Her most recent work, co-authored with Kari Yates, is the Amazon Bestseller, Shifting the Balance: Bringing the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom. Jan’s work also includes speaking engagements, presentations at conferences, professional learning support for school districts, and curriculum development for schools and other agencies working to improve the literacy learning of children. With 28 years of experience in education, Jan’s favorite work is in classrooms, alongside teachers and students, where she coaches dedicated educators to support students in becoming independent and proficient readers.
Kari Yates is an author, speaker, and consultant with a passion for helping busy literacy educators thrive. If you’re an elementary educator, Kari has been in your shoes. Her experiences include classroom teacher, special education teacher, reading specialist, elementary principal and district administrator.
Kari has a passion for helping teachers, coaches, and administrators find the inspiration, courage and resources to nurture joyful, and research-aligned literacy learning, one next-step at a time. Kari is uniquely qualified to facilitate decision-making, planning, and professional development at the district, building, and classroom level. She does this through writing, designing online learning experiences, speaking engagements, conference presentations, and working side-by-side with teachers and leaders in schools.
Kari is a co-author (with Jan Burkins) of the groundbreaking text, Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom (Stenhouse, 2021). She is also the author (with Christina Nosek) of To Know and Nurture a Reader (Stenhouse Publishing, 2018) and Simple Starts: Making the Move to a Reader-Centered Classroom (Hienemann, 2015).
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