This timely book demonstrates powerful strategies that make decoding a natural part of good classroom instruction and lay a strong foundation for reading success. It shows teachers how to teach specific phonics skills within a rich learning environment.

The Reading Edge revolves around an explicit instruction model that has been used successfully by the authors for more than thirty years, offering teachers the tools they need to help children become enthusiastic readers:

• blending, word family, rhyming and onset and rime strategies;
• word-attack skills that help children understand how the printed word works;
• approaches that can be incorporated successfully regardless of teaching style;
• assessment tips that help identify student strengths, weaknesses and gaps;
• suggestions for adapting for ESL and special needs programs.

Classroom anecdotes throughout put literacy, phonics and learning in context. They show teachers how to identify what children know about reading and writing and where to take them next. They illustrate how to teach phonics strategically and inspire children to become better, more confident readers. Innovative approaches and ready-to-use tools in the book include assessment and tracking sheets, as well as playful activities involving silly sentences and mini worksheets.