Word Study in the Inclusive Secondary Classroom

Word study integrates decoding/phonics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction to help struggling readers identify unfamiliar words in order to improve reading comprehension. This book provides secondary teachers with practical strategies to embed word study instruction in content area classes and support the needs of adolescent readers, particularly those with disabilities. The text includes many useful teaching resources, such as sample lesson plans, reproducible teaching tools, web resource lists, and tips about technology-based learning tools. This comprehensive, hands-on volume will also appeal to teachers who are new to word study, especially those who have students with disabilities in their classrooms.

Book Features:

• Outlines how word study techniques can help teachers address students’ reading challenges.
• Focuses on the inclusion of adolescents with disabilities in content area courses.
• Offers techniques for understanding content-dense, multisyllabic words that are commonly found in disciplinary texts.
• Includes many user-friendly features, such as classroom examples, discussion questions, teaching tips, and resource lists.

Melinda M. Leko is an assistant professor in the department of special education at the University of Kansas.

"Word Study in Secondary Classrooms is an excellent resource for an experienced secondary teacher or a teacher education candidate. It provides readers with a wealth of research-based word study methods and strategies that can be easily implemented in secondary classrooms with struggling readers."

—Teachers College Record

"Secondary teachers seeking practical suggestions for how to help struggling readers will love this book! Word Study in the Inclusive Classroom provides a clear, concise overview of the many ways that adolescents can still struggle to read well into high school. This overview is followed up with a clear explanation of everything a teacher would need to know to start implementing word study immediately. Leko includes lots of helpful examples of word study instruction in a variety of content area classes, including science, social studies, and English. Easy to read and so informative!"
—Dr. Kimber Wilkerson, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This book will be an invaluable resource for preserivce and inservice general and special educators.​ Few texts address reading instruction for secondary students with reading difficulties and disabilities. Word Study in the Inclusive Secondary Classroom fills this void, providing secondary teachers with the fundamental knowledge and evidence-based practices essential for providing effective word study instruction tailored to the unique learning needs of such students."
—Alexandra Lauterbach, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

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