The Essentials of Teaching Children to Read: The Teacher Makes the Difference (3rd Edition)
 Here’s practical, easy-to-access information teachers need to become master literacy teachers—while ensuring that they meet the literacy needs of each and every student in the classroom. In keeping with the premise that it is the teacher who makes the difference in effective reading instruction, this book helps educators become capable literacy teachers by showing them how to think deeply about their teaching decisions in order to understand and best meet their students’ literacy needs. In this new edition the authors have updated their previous five pillars of effective reading instruction—Teacher Knowledge, Classroom Assessment, Evidence-Based Teaching Practices, Response to Intervention (RTI), and Family and Community Connections—and add two new pillars to this edition: Motivation and Engagement and Technology and New Literacies. The seven pillars provide a logical and consistent structure for closely examining the essential elements that well prepared literacy teachers know, understand, and are able to implement in classrooms. Teachers are encouraged to use the seven pillars to ground their thinking about future teaching in order to successfully develop and perform their vital roles in helping all children become successful readers and writers. Using the hands-on advice presented in this new edition, pre- and in-service teachers see clearly how to: Encourage young children toincrease their speaking vocabulariesMotivate students toengage in various reading skills, strategies, and conceptsPresent exceptionally clear phonics instruction lessonsthat help reach even the most difficult to teach studentsAccess the newest and best instructional strategiesfor boosting students’ reading comprehension through effective instructionBecome acquainted with, and use,evidence-based reading instructional programsthat have proved effective with a variety of student populationsWork with and benefit from the knowledge base and experience ofreading coachesBecome more effective and clear in their teaching throughnew lesson examples of explicit strategy and concept instructionUse specific strategies tohelp students get motivated to learn to readand to remain engaged in the process throughout the year and beyondAddress the needs of today’s most rapidly growing student sector—English Learners—and use methods for effective assessment and instruction.Keep pace withtoday’s technology and new literaciesstudents are using and use those technologies effectively in the classroom to encourage literacyAssess and teach aspects of reading according toResponse to Intervention (RTI)guidelines for Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction