Reading Instruction That Works: The Case for Balanced Teaching

The first comprehensive study of balanced literacy teaching, this book demonstrates how effective reading instruction combines aspects of both skill and whole language approaches. Noted teacher educator Michael Pressley interjects a voice of reason into current polarizing debates on the "one best way" to teach reading, synthesizing insights and data from a variety of disciplinary perspectives to provide the scientific basis for an eclectic approach. Extensively referenced chapters cover topics including the various components of both whole language and skills instruction; how the balanced approach is applied in real classrooms; the stimulation of literacy from the primary level through the middle and upper elementary grades; motivational issues and strategies; and more.