Teaching reading skills, resources and activities for parents and teachers

The Tools to Achieve Reading Success

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Teaching Reading Skills

Instructions, Information & Resources for Parents and Teachers

This page empowers parents, teachers, and tutors with FREE information, activities, tools and resources to help their children or students achieve reading and spelling success.

The research clearly demonstrated the importance of phonologic processing to proficient reading and the proven effectiveness of explicit phonologic based instruction in helping children learn to read. The key is translating these research findings into concrete actions parents and teachers can use.

This page shares effective multisensory activities, useful tools, practical strategies, helpful hints, valuable resources and effective techniques parents and teachers can implement to help students acquire reading and spelling skills and successfully travel the path to proficient reading. The activities, techniques and instructional approaches described are all consistent with the findings from valid evidence based research and the neuroscience revealing the importance of phonologic processing to proficient reading. This page shares practical information and effective resources for implementing direct systematic phonics for parents as well as for teachers who work with multiple students.

Both Right Track Reading Lessons and Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons are highly effective direct systematic phonics programs that provide parents and teachers with well organized and easy-to-use tools for teaching students to read.

All articles are intentionally written to empower parents & teachers with information to help their children or students achieve reading success. All articles are copyrighted by Miscese R. Gagen. Please see Terms of Use

Information is organized into the following sections: (scroll down the page or CLICK on the section title to advance to the list of articles in that section)

I. Understanding Proficient Reading and Effective Reading Instruction: The science of proficient reading, skills necessary for proficient reading and key strategies of effective instruction.

II Toolbox for Reading Instruction: Materials useful in effective reading instruction including phonics phones and sound tiles.

III. Establishing the Foundation of Phonologic Processing: Information, activities and resources to develop specific skills necessary for phonologic processing including phonemic awareness, knowledge of the complete phonemic code, proper tracking, smooth blending and attention to detail.

IV. Developing Higher Level Reading Skills: Information, activities and resources for advancing skills in fluency, comprehension, vocabulary and handling multisyllable words.

V. Reading Remediation ~ Helping Struggling (dyslexic) Readers Achieve Success: Information on dyslexia, helping struggling readers achieve success, reading errors, identifying weakness & targeting instruction.

VI. Teaching Spelling - resources to help student achieve spelling success.

VII. Other Information/ Teaching Considerations - tutoring tips, selecting appropriate books, pronouncing sounds and other useful information.

VIII. Resources for Users of the Right Track Reading Lessons Programs

I. Understanding Proficient Reading & Effective Instruction: START here!

II. Terrific Tools for Reading Instruction: Get the Toolbox Ready! A quick overview of materials useful for effective (not expensive) reading instruction

The Toolbox of Materials for Effective Reading Instruction (effective NOT expensive!)
Phonics Phones Explained: Learn how these simple devices can be a highly effective tool in reading instruction. Included directions for making phonics phones.
Sound Tiles Explained ~ Highly Effective Multi-sensory Activities
Right Track Reading Lessons or Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons These effective direct systematic phonics programs are easy-to-use, affordable and guaranteed effective!

III. Establishing the Foundation of Phonologic Processing Required for Proficient Reading: Information, activities and resources to develop skills necessary for phonologic processing

Developing Phonemic Awareness

Building Direct Print to Sound Knowledge of the Phonemic Code

Establishing Proper Directional Tracking (correct left to right processing)

Teaching Students to Blend Sounds Smoothly:

Establishing/Directly Building the Foundation of Proficient Phonologic Processing of Print

Developing Attention to Detail

Key Points and Techniques for Developing Attention to Detail

IV. Information & Resources to Develop Higher Level Reading Skills ~ Advancing to Skilled Reading:

Overview of Higher Level Reading Skills - What it takes to become a skilled reader!

Advanced Skills Necessary for Proficient Reading: Overview of Key Higher Level or Advanced Reading Skills

Fluency

Reading Fluency Explained: What Reading Fluency Is, How Fluent Reading is Developed and How to Help Your Child or Student Become a Fluent Reader

Comprehension:

Developing Reading Comprehension: Overview of Reading Comprehension and Specific Actions to Help Students Develop Comprehension Skills and Strategies

Vocabulary:

Expanding Vocabulary Knowledge: Specific Actions to Help Your Student Expand Their Vocabulary Knowledge

Handling Multisyllable Words:

Handling Multisyllable Words - Helping Students Learn How to Read Mulitsyllable Words

Highly Effective Technique for Advancing Higher Level Reading Skills:

Using Guided Reading to Help Your Student Advance Reading Skills (share this with parents!)

V. Reading Remediation ~ Helping Struggling Readers Achieve Success: Information for effectively helping dyslexic struggling readers achieve reading success

VI. Teaching Spelling ~ Helping Students Achieve Spelling Success:

FAQ How are Spelling and Reading Related?
Teaching Students HOW to spell: Effective Spelling Instruction to Help Students Develop Spelling Skills Includes the foundation for spelling success, recommendations for effective spelling instruction, and links to samples of effective decodable spelling lessons
The Next Step in Effective Spelling Lessons ~ Building Better Spellers by Directly Teaching Expected Patterns and Useful Guidelines

VII. Other Information/ Teaching Considerations:

VIII. Resources for Users of Right Track Reading Lessons & Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons:

Resources Designed Specifically for the Right Track Reading Lessons and Back on the Right Track Reading Lessons Programs Including:

A Quick Reminder Card

FREE Decodable Stories for Right Track Reading Lessons

Effective Beginning Spelling ~ Decodable Spelling Lists to go with Right Track Reading Lessons

Tracer Letter Sound Writing Sheets for Right Track Reading Lessons

A special thanks to the teachers who have shared their expertise. This page would not have been possible without their generous contributions of time, talents, ideas and techniques for teaching essential reading skills to multiple students. By sharing ‘what works’, these teachers are producing results in reading achievement for students well beyond their classrooms. Thank you!

Right Track Reading appreciates any feedback or input. If you have ideas or resources for effective direct systematic phonic reading instruction you would like to share with other parents or teachers please e-mail Miscese Gagen. Right Track Reading will continue to update this page. Additional articles and resources will be linked as they are completed.

The tools to achieve reading success!