How to Prevent Reading Difficulties, Grades PreK-3: Proactive Practices for Teaching Young Children To Read

"The science of reading meets the art of teaching readers." 

Built upon decades of evidence and years of experience, this book shows teachers how the brain learns to read and how that understanding can be applied to Tier 1 instruction. Includes dozens of effective and practical activities, strategies, and routines in the areas of language comprehension, phonology, orthography, and the extended reading of all types of text.

The book includes:

• step-by-step descriptions of techniques for effectively teaching phonological awareness, spelling, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension
• specific Tier 1 activities, routines, and frameworks that build and strengthen word recognition and language comprehension
• links to video demonstrations and online resources
• clear, practical explanations of the science of reading, including the Eternal Triangle and the Simple View of Reading, to help teachers understand the fundamentals of the reading process, recognize how difficulties arise – and understand how to address them

Author Mark Weakland brings new energy to teaching high-priority foundational skills. By blending the science of reading with the best instructional practices that lead to authentic reading; the ultimate goal of balanced literacy; teachers can prevent many reading difficulties in K-3 learners.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Reading Brain

Chapter 2: What Are Reading Difficulties?

Chapter 3: Highly Effective Teaching Techniques

Chapter 4: Building Language Comprehension

Chapter 5: Building Phonological Skills

Chapter 6: Building Orthographic Skills

Chapter 7: Reading: Guided, Repeated, Independent

"This book is so much more than a “few great strategies to try on.” Rather, it explains the science of how our reading brains work, so that we acknowledge all that the brain does when making sense of text. How to Prevent Reading Difficulties can benefit both new and seasoned practitioners in two ways: First, these powerful strategies detail specific yet practical activities, routines, and techniques that teachers can use to teach all children the basics of reading, and second, because these practices focus on establishing a strong foundation, they also help teachers to prevent reading difficulties through strong Tier 1 instruction."
- Hilda Martinez, NBCT, RTI Coordinator, 2020 San Diego County Teacher of the Year

"This smart and fun-to-read teaching guide gives you the bread, butter, cheese, meat and potato routines for ensuring that virtually all students learn to read, write, and spell."
- J. Richard Gentry, Researcher, author, educational consultant.

"From brain research to building better readers, Mark Weakland’s How to Prevent Reading Difficulties, Grades PreK–3 provides a very readable and actionable approach to overcoming reading difficulties in young children. This is definitely a book worth reading and having on hand as a guide for developing reading instruction that works."
- Timothy Rasinski, Professor of Literacy Education, Kent State University

"In How to Prevent Reading Difficulties,  Mark Weakland offers a wealth of practical instructional activities and routines to maximize student learning in phonological awareness, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and more. This resource is grounded in the latest research drawn from multiple sciences examining how children learn to read. It’s a valuable addition to any teacher’s bookshelf."
- Wiley Blevins, Author, A Fresh Look at Phonics