Breakthroughs in Literacy: Teacher Success Stories and Strategies, Grades K-8

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Breakthroughs in Literacy: Teacher Success Stories and Strategies, Grades K-8

Author(s): Susan E. Israel

Published Online: 11 JAN 2012 11:31AM EST

Print ISBN: 9780470371824

Online ISBN: 9781118269336

DOI: 10.1002/9781118269336

About this Book

Product Information

About The Product

Teachers share advice on creating successful literacy classrooms for all students, including those who struggle

This much-needed resource is filled with lively and inspiring stories from teachers who overcame challenges with underperforming and struggling learners-many of them special needs students-to make significant breakthroughs in reading and writing instruction. The teachers reveal their trials, errors, and triumphs in how they discovered particular instructional strategies or incorporated modeling and motivational techniques that best addressed students' learning needs and opened a path to success. Compelling and absorbing, the book includes unusual and often surprising approaches for connecting with students, including books that made a difference.

  • Offers wisdom, inspiration, and guidance on working with varied students to improve reading and writing skills
  • Contains 29 stories from real-world teachers who have had success in teaching literacy
  • Summary sections focus on key breakthrough strategies, lessons learned, reflection questions, actions tips, and recommended resources
  • Describes effective modeling, motivational, and engagement practices

Table of contents

    1. You have free access to this content
      Front Matter (pages i–xxv)

  2. Part I: Connection: Knowing the Learner

    1. About the Stories (pages 1–5)

      Susan E. Israel

    2. Expecting the Aha! Moment (pages 7–10)

      Karen Kindle

    3. Facing My Chair Forward (pages 11–15)

      Limor Pinhasi-Vittorio

    4. Books Will Be Her Legs (pages 17–19)

      Vicki S. Collet

    5. “I Guess Kids Can Be Teachers Sometimes” (pages 21–24)

      Cynthia J. Poston

    6. Through the Red Door of Room 207 (pages 25–28)

      Angie Zapata

    7. To Know Them is to Teach Them (pages 29–31)

      Martha Ford

    8. Reflections on the Breakthroughs (pages 33–39)

      Susan E. Israel

  3. Part II: Motivation: The Right Book Can Make a Difference

    1. About the Stories (pages 41–45)

      Susan E. Israel

    2. Carpet Fuzz, a Staple, and a Story (pages 47–50)

      Danna Parsons

    3. A Plan to Listen (pages 51–53)

      Emily Manning

    4. Every Picture Tells a Story: Supporting Young Authors with Wordless Picture Books (pages 55–57)

      Elizabeth M. Frye

    5. “I'm an Amazing Reader!” (pages 59–62)

      Karen A. Jorgensen

    6. A Special Boy Teaches Us Special Lessons (pages 63–66)

      William P. Bintz and Pamela L. Wright

    7. Kids Become Better Readers … by Reading! (pages 67–71)

      Kathy A. Egawa

    8. The Mattie Club: Created by Children Who Love Poetry and Life (pages 73–76)

      Lindsay P. Grow

    9. My Opinion: No One Ever Asked Before (pages 77–79)

      Lisa Janes

    10. Spiderman to the Rescue (pages 81–86)

      Daniel T. Holm

    11. Reflections on the Breakthroughs (pages 87–94)

      Susan E. Israel

  4. Part III: Engagement: Multisensory Experiences

    1. About the Stories (pages 95–98)

      Susan E. Israel

    2. Learning to Read His Own Way (pages 99–102)

      Terry S. Atkinson

    3. If They Can't Learn the Way We Teach, Maybe We Should Teach the Way They Learn (pages 103–107)

      Nina L. Nilsson

    4. “I Gotta Touch the Book!” Reading Aloud with Young Toddlers (pages 109–111)

      Amelia C. Evans and Mariana Souto-Manning

    5. “What Does This Say?” A Small Request with Huge Implications (pages 113–116)

      Marianne McTavish

    6. Gifts from My Heart (pages 117–120)

      Mary J. Banta

    7. Ten-Year-Olds, Tapes, and the Epiphany (pages 121–123)

      Sheila Gaquin

    8. Why Art? (pages 125–128)

      Monique Poldberg

    9. Reflections on the Breakthroughs (pages 129–136)

      Susan E. Israel

  5. Part IV: Transformation: Learning Together

    1. About the Stories (pages 137–140)

      Susan E. Israel

    2. Perseverance, Motivation, and Collaboration: The Tools Needed for Success (pages 141–144)

      Katie Sullivan

    3. Better Than a Base Hit (pages 145–147)

      Deborah Vessels

    4. “Cheeese!” (pages 149–152)

      Gina A. Goble

    5. Formulaic Writing is Not for Everyone: Especially Gifted First Graders (pages 153–156)

      Evangelina “Gigi” Brignoni

    6. Spelling, Reading, and Writing Give Joey an Unexpected Voice and His Teacher and Classmates Inspiration (pages 157–161)

      Richard M. Oldrieve

    7. “You Know Those Marks …?” (pages 163–166)

      Alexa L. Sandmann

    8. Nudging One Reluctant Writer into Action (pages 167–175)

      Lori Berman Wolf

    9. Reflections on the Breakthroughs (pages 177–182)

      Susan E. Israel

  6. Part V: Conclusion

    1. Seven Pathways to Literacy Learning (pages 183–196)

      Susan E. Israel

    1. You have free access to this content
      References (pages 197–200)

    1. You have free access to this content
      Index (pages 201–211)

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