Building the Reading Brain, PreK-3
by Pat Wolfe, Pamela Nevills
Category: Education

"An excellent, important book!" Robert Sylwester Author, A Biological Brain in a Cultural Classroom. "Although there is an enormous amount of information, the simplicity of the language, the chronology of reading development, and the suggested practices or strategies at various stages create a comprehensive, meaningful, and relevant text." Yvette Jackson, Executive Director, National Urban Alliance. Meet the most important challenge of education by ensuring that every child can read! The brain is hardwired for spoken language but not for reading. Yet reading skills serve as the primary foundation of all school-based learning. Research indicates that a student's future academic success can be predicted by his or her reading level at the end of third grade. Patricia Wolfe and Pamela Nevills bring insight and assistance to preschool educators, parents and care providers, kindergarten and primary grade teachers for this essential process. They explain the development of the young brain, the acquisition of language as preparation for reading, and the nurturing and instruction process from birth to age eight. This unique guide demonstrates how the brain of a child masters the reading process of decoding print and reading with fluency and comprehension and addresses related literacy skills of writing and spelling. Brain-friendly strategies that lay the groundwork for reading success include: Activities to support phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency; Applications of games, music, play, and instruction; Intervention suggestions for children who are challenged or discouraged early readers. Learning to read is a complex, gradual process that begins in infancy and Building the Reading Brain, PreK-3 provides insights and guidelines to help early childhood educators, parents, and care providers and K-3 teachers to meet the challenge of insuring that every child learns to read with fluency and comprehension.