Synopses & Reviews
"When we give every student worksheets to learn phonics and spelling, we miss opportunities to get our students excited about words and fail to give them the opportunity to meet the high standards represented by the Common Core Standards. Our students need instruction that makes them think and helps them apply their word knowledge to real reading and writing situations." -Jennifer Palmer and Marcia Invernizzi We want students to be curious about how words work and develop strategies that work whether they are decoding words or spelling them. And our jobs would be easier if students couldn't wait for word study.
Yet so many classrooms are stuck in the cycle of unengaging, one-size fits all phonics and spelling worksheets.
Reading specialist Jennifer Palmer and literacy researcher Marcia Invernizzi offer better, more effective, more engaging practices. Their suggestions lead kids to not only make progress during word study but also to transfer what they learn about words to their reading and writing. No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets show us:
- why skill-and-drill methods and worksheets cause children to struggle or disengage
- the kinds of teaching that research shows actually works
- instructional ideas for word study can put to use right away.
"We can cast off one-size-fits-all factory instruction and try a more useful practice," write Jennifer and Marcia, "meeting each child where s/he is." Pick up No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets, discover practices that better support literacy growth, and help everyone make progress.
About the Author
Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor of language, literacy, and culture and faculty associate in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke received her Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore CollegMarcia Invernizzi (@anosygnosia) is the coauthor, with Jennifer Palmer, of No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets. The book is a part of Heinemann's Not This But Series, edited by Nell K. Duke and Ellin Oliver Keene. In addition to her Heinemann title, Marcia is a coauthor of Words Their Way and twelve other books related to word study. She is the creator and primary author of PALS, the Phonologial Awareness Literacy Screening tool used in many states and a founder of Book Buddies, a tutoring framework for struggling readers in the first and second grades. The Henderson Professor of Reading Education at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, Marcia teaches graduate classes for the program areas of reading and teacher education in the department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education. Her favorite course is Word Study in which she and her students explore the structure of words and their meanings. Marcia's research focuses on the role of written word knowledge in literacy development, on reading difficulties, and on formative and diagnostic literacy assessments that can inform instruction. She has received many awards for her teaching and research, including the Curry School of Education's Outstanding Professor Award, and the University of Virginia's Edlich-Henderson Innovator of the Year Award. Marcia's favorite word is serendipitous; some of her most important insights have come from her work with children.Ellin is author of Talk About Understanding: Rethinking Classroom Talk to Enhance Understanding, To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension, co-author of Comprehension Going Forward and of Mosaic of Thought: The Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction, 2nd edition as well as numerous chapters for professional books and journals on the teaching of reading as well as education policy journals. Ellin Oliver Keene has been a classroom teacher, staff developer, non-profit director and adjunct professor of reading and writing. For sixteen years she directed staff development initiatives at the Denver-based Public Education & Business Coalition. She served as Deputy Director and Director of Literacy and Staff Development for the Cornerstone Project at the University of Pennsylvania for 4 years. Ellin currently serves as Director of Research and Development for the PEBC, as senior advisor to Heinemann Professional Development and works with schools and districts throughout the country and abroad. Ellin Oliver Keene is a Heinemann Professional Development provider. She presents Heinemann One-Day Workshops, Live Webinars, and all forms of On-Site PD. She is most sought after for her long-term professional development residencies in partnership with Heinemann Professional Development. For an overview of the Keene Residency »