Teaching Word Recognition: Effective Strategies for Students with Learning Difficulties

This highly regarded teacher resource synthesises the research base on word recognition and translates it into step-by-step instructional strategies, with special attention to students who are struggling. Chapters follow the stages through which students progress as they work toward skilled reading of words. Presented are practical, evidence-based techniques and activities that target letter- sound pairings, decoding and blending, sight words, multisyllabic words, and fluency.

Ideal for use in primary-grade classrooms, the book also offers specific guidance for working with older children who are having difficulties. Reproducible assessment tools and word lists can be downloaded and printed in a convenient full page size.

New to This Edition

• Incorporates the latest research on word recognition and its connections to vocabulary, reading fluency, and comprehension.
• Chapter on morphological (meaning-based) instruction.
• Chapter on English language learners.
• Instructive "Try This" activities at the end of each chapter for teacher study groups and professional development.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. In the Beginning: Oral Language and Learning to Read Words
2. Phonemic Awareness
3. The Alphabetic Principle
4. Beginning to Decode
5. Word Patterns
6. Developing Sight Words
7. Reading Multisyllabic Words
8. Using Morphology to Read Words
9. Reading Words Fluently
10. Teaching Students Who Are English Learners
11. Older Students with Reading Difficulties

Appendix A. Resources

Appendix B. Reproducible Forms and Checklists

References

Index

"Yet again, O'Connor has shown why she is a leader in reading education. This second edition demonstrates O'Connor's special strength in conveying practical procedures that are true to the evidence about effective reading instruction. Chapter after chapter, the book explains the importance of teaching a component decoding skill (for example, blending, decoding multisyllabic words), translates the research about it, and provides sequenced illustrations of targeted lessons. What more could a teacher want? Because it is so conceptually well integrated and grounded in applied research, this book can serve as a guide for students, classroom teachers, and curriculum developers."
- John Wills Lloyd, PhD, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia

"Essential reading for teachers and teacher educators. The tone is reader-friendly, but the content is substantial. This book addresses all aspects of learning to read words, with discussions of oral language, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, struggling secondary students, and English language learners. Each chapter provides extensive research and evidence-based strategies and activities with examples. O’Connor has managed to demystify the process of teaching word recognition to students with reading difficulties."
- Yvonne N. Bui, PhD, Department of Special Education, San Francisco State University