The Literacy Coach's Handbook, First Edition A Guide to Research-Based Practice

by Walpole, Sharon; McKenna, Michael C.

• ISBN13: 9781593850340
• ISBN10: 1593850344
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-28
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Literacy coaching is currently a hot topic. This unique guide presents information and strategies to help literacy coaches meet the demands of designing and directing an elementary reading program. Step by step, this handbook provides the knowledge needed to ensure that teachers and students benefit from the concepts and methods emerging from scientifically based reading research. Invaluable reproducible tables, figures, and detailed examples illustrate best practices for: * collecting and analyzing school-level achievement data * selecting and organizing new curricula, texts, and resources * conducting ongoing professional development * providing feedback and assistance to individual teachers * engaging the whole school community in supporting positive change. Written by experienced literacy coach Michael C. McKenna, and prominent reading educator, Sharon Walpole. The clear and accessible style, and reproducible resources allow readers to connect with day-to-day tasks.

Author Biography

Sharon Walpole, PhD is Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy education. Upon graduation from the University of Virginia, she spent 3 years as a full-time school administrator working with elementary teachers to develop schoolwide reading programs. She has worked with literacy coaches in Iowa, Virginia, Georgia, and Delaware as part of the Reading Excellence Act and Reading First Reforms. She was a member of the Center for Improvement of Early Reading Achievement research team studying the characteristics of Beat the Odds schools. Her research interests include the design, implementation, and evaluation of schoolwide reading programs.

Michael C. McKenna, PhD, has been Professor of Reading at Georgia Southern University since 1989. For 12 years prior to that, he was Professor of Reading at Wichita State University. He has authored, coauthored, or edited 12 books and more than 80 articles, chapters, and technical reports on a range of literacy topics. He recently coedited the [i]Handbook of Literacy and Technology[/i], and was awarded both the National Reading Conference's Edward Fry Book Award and the American Library Association's Award for Outstanding Academic Books. His research interests include comprehension in content settings, reading attitudes, technology applications, and beginning reading.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1. What Is a Literacy Coach?	1	(20)
Literacy Coach as Learner	3	(5)
Literacy Coach as Grant Writer	8	(3)
Literacy Coach as School-Level Planner	11	(3)
Literacy Coach as Curriculum Expert	14	(1)
Literacy Coach as Researcher	15	(4)
Literacy Coach as Teacher	19	(1)
The Literacy Coach: A New Role	20	(1)
CHAPTER 2. What Is a Schoolwide Reading Program?	21	(24)
Schoolwide Research	21	(3)
Assessment	24	(7)
Grouping	31	(2)
Selection of Curriculum Resources	33	(3)
Allocation of Time	36	(9)
CHAPTER 3. Reading Research	45	(20)
What Is SBRR, and How Can You Get Some?	46	(1)
Phonemic Awareness	47	(2)
Phonics	49	(4)
Fluency	53	(2)
Vocabulary	55	(1)
Comprehension	56	(3)
Finding Answers	59	(6)
CHAPTER 4. Reading Assessment	65	(23)
Types of Tests	65	(2)
An Assessment Strategy	67	(1)
Interpreting Group Assessment Scores	68	(5)
Multiple Assessment Hats of the Literacy Coach	73	(4)
Improving Group Achievement Scores	77	(10)
A Final Word	87	(1)
CHAPTER 5. Instructional Schedules	88	(12)
Porter Highland School	89	(2)
McMillan Academy	91	(1)
Bradenton Elementary	92	(2)
White Oak School	94	(1)
Time for Teaching	95	(2)
A Word to the Wise	97	(3)
CHAPTER 6. Instructional Tasks and Procedures	100	(20)
Stage Theories in Reading and Spelling	101	(1)
Instructional Emphases	102	(2)
Instruction for Kindergarten Readers and Writers	104	(3)
Instruction for First-Grade Readers and Writers	107	(5)
Instruction for Second-Grade Readers and Writers	112	(4)
Instruction for Third-Grade Readers and Writers	116	(3)
Building a Program	119	(1)
CHAPTER 7. Selecting Materials and Programs	120	(42)
A Brief History of Basals	122	(3)
Today's Basal Basics	125	(3)
Researchers React	128	(2)
Thoughtful Systems for Evaluating Materials	130	(25)
The Problem of Layering	155	(5)
The Political Context	160	(2)
CHAPTER 8. Intervention Programs	162	(23)
What Is the Best Intervention?	162	(1)
Why Intervene?	163	(1)
Who Needs Intervention?	164	(2)
Contexts for Intervention	166	(9)
Content of Intervention	175	(7)
Caveat	182	(1)
Intervention Planning	182	(3)
CHAPTER 9. Providing Professional Support	185	(36)
Research on Professional Support Systems	185	(5)
Knowledge-Building Sessions	190	(6)
Data-Based Presentations	196	(1)
Book Clubs and Study Groups	197	(2)
Observation and Feedback	199	(17)
Modeling	216	(2)
Professional Resources	218	(1)
Establishing Coherence	219	(2)
CHAPTER 10. Leadership	221	(13)
Conceptualizing Leadership	221	(2)
Issues of Authority	223	(2)
Supporting the Struggling Teacher	225	(2)
What about the Resistant Teacher?	227	(1)
Many Voices	228	(6)
REFERENCES	234	(9)
INDEX	243