Be That Teacher! Breaking the Cycle for Struggling Readers

Tens of thousands of students begin each new school year with the hope that they will finally find the teacher who will help them succeed as readers, writers, and learners. This book shows how teachers can provide the type of differentiated instruction that struggling readers need by drawing on students’ individual and cultural backgrounds, as well as the results of classroom-based diagnostic and progress-monitoring assessment measures.

The authors include authentic examples and case studies from diverse primary and intermediate/middle school classrooms to show how instruction can be implemented and adjusted to accommodate students’ individual differences—differences that are influenced by their schools and instructional backgrounds, their cultural and linguistic histories, their interests and activities, their reading and writing habits in and out of school, and their understandings and misunderstandings about texts, print, and digital media. Classroom teachers, reading specialists, reading coaches, and prospective teachers are invited to analyze and reflect about each case presented to help them provide the type of instruction that will change the trajectory for students who continue to fail in reading.

Book Features:

• Concrete guidance for breaking the cycle for struggling readers.
• A reader-friendly presentation of relevant research.
• Specific recommendations for assessment and instructional actions.
• Teacher resources.

Victoria J. Risko is professor emerita at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, Nashville, Tennessee, and the 2011–2012 president of the International Reading Association. Doris Walker-Dalhouse is associate professor of reading in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership at Marquette University College of Education, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and professor emerita at Minnesota State University, Moorhead.

“Teaching to take advantage of the linguistic and cultural diversity present in your classroom makes it more likely that your students will become readers. It will also make you a more effective teacher. This book will assist you in achieving both goals.”
—Richard L Allington, University of Tennessee

“I hope every teacher and every teacher-in-training has the opportunity to engage in thoughtful reading, discussion, and planned action related to the content of this powerful volume.”
—Timothy V. Rasinski, Kent State University

2015 Must Read—Center for Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh