| Preface to the Second Edition | viii |
| About the Author | xi |
1. | The Case for a Balanced Approach | 1 |
| The Great Debate | 2 |
| Successful Early Reading Programs in Practice | 9 |
| Essential Components of an Effective Literacy Program | 10 |
| Comprehensive and Balanced: Not the Same as Eclectic | 12 |
| Summary | 13 |
2. | What Skilled Readers Do | 16 |
| The Importance of Seeing Letter Combinations in Words | 17 |
| The Importance of Connecting Letter Combinations With Discrete Sounds and Meaning | 17 |
| Skills Needed to Become a Proficient Reader | 20 |
3. | Beginning-to-Read Instruction for Preschool and Kindergarten | 23 |
| Listening and Responding to Stories at School and at Home | 24 |
| Naming and Recognizing Letters | 25 |
| The Importance of Phonemic Awareness | 27 |
| Print Concepts | 34 |
| Mastering a Few Sight Words | 35 |
| Syntactic Awareness | 36 |
| Summary | 36 |
4. | Beginning-to-Read Instruction for Early First Grade | 39 |
| Decoding and Comprehension | 41 |
| Recognizing Single Words | 42 |
| Learning to Decode | 42 |
| Reading and Comprehension | 45 |
| Practice Makes Perfect: The Sequence of Becoming an Automatic Reader | 46 |
| Reading Instruction for Early First Grade | 51 |
| Individual Diagnosis and Benchmarks: Keys to Effective Instruction | 70 |
| Combining Reading With Discussions and Feedback | 71 |
| Specially Designed Books and Materials | 72 |
| Correctness Versus Coverage | 74 |
| The Importance of Timely, Early Intervention | 75 |
| Individual and Group Tutoring | 76 |
| Successful Reading Programs in the Classroom | 77 |
| Grouping Strategies | 78 |
| Determining Structure | 80 |
5. | Reading Instruction for Middle First Grade to Upper Elementary Grades | 83 |
| A Book- and Story-Driven Strategy to Teach Skills | 83 |
| First Principle: Match Books to Students' Levels | 84 |
| Second Principle: Frequently Evaluate Students' Reading | 86 |
| Continued Phonics, Spelling, and Decoding Support | 88 |
| Multisyllabic Word Instruction | 89 |
6. | Spelling, Beginning Writing, and Vocabulary | 92 |
| Spelling | 92 |
| Stages of Spelling Development | 94 |
| Teaching Spelling | 96 |
| Beginning Writing | 99 |
| Vocabulary | 100 |
7. | Comprehension and Assessment | 105 |
| Independent, Wide Reading | 106 |
| Strategic Reading | 108 |
| Book Discussions | 112 |
| Assessment | 117 |
8. | Writing and Speaking | 121 |
| Written and Oral Applications | 121 |
| Writing | 122 |
9. | Frequently Asked Questions | 125 |
10. | Conclusions | 128 |
| Resource A | 129 |
Resource B | The Role of Skills in a Comprehensive Elementary Reading Program--24 Major Points | 134 |
| References | 142 |
| Suggested Reading | 155 |
| Index | 157 |