RESOURCE: book to help children with reading & writing

[Andrea Schorr]

One of my colleagues recently brought to my
attention a book that is a good resource for
adults who are working with children in one-to-one
or group settings on reading and writing skills.
A number of the groups we working with in
Washington, DC are looking for tools and techniques
to promote literacy in afterschool and summer programs--
as are many other organizations.

"A Language Yardstick: Understanding and Assessment,"
by Priscilla Vail, describes techniques for "assessing
and improving three key aspects of children's language:
receptive language--listening and reading
expressive language--speaking and writing
metacognition--the link between language and thinking."

This book is a quick read and describes many practical,
easily replicable techniques for helping children improve
the ways in which they hear, understand, speak, write
and act upon language.  The book is focused on
children from preschool through fourth grade--the critical
ages for language development.

The weakest component of the book is the "case study"
examples, which follow the social and academic
progress of fictional brother and sister twins.  The examples
seem to be drawn from the experiences of children from
middle to upper income families, and I didn't find them
helpful in understanding how or why to identify particular
characteristics and behaviors in children.

This book is out of print, but it can be ordered through
the Barnes and Noble Web site <http://www.bn.com>
for $8.76.

Two other excellent resource books for adults working
with children in out of school programs:

"Yardsticks : Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14 : A Resource for Parents
and Teachers"
by Chip Wood. "Offers clear and concise descriptions of the developmental
characteristics of children at different ages. User-friendly format to help
use these 'yardsticks' to shape
curriculum."  Available at amazon.com for $14.95.

"Teaching With the Brain in Mind," by Eric Jensen. Offers "practical,
easy-to-understand research on learning and the brain. Consider important
questions such as:
- Biologically, can you truly expect to get and hold students' attention for
long periods of time?
- How has research on rewards been misinterpreted?
- Do students actually "forget" what we teach them, or do we ask them to
recall information in the wrong way?
- What are the surprising benefits for learning across the board when
students participate in some sort of physical education or movement?"
Availabe at amazon.com for $21.95.

If any has used--or in the future uses--any of these books with success,
please
share.

Andrea Schorr
Program Specialist, Morino Institute