Wiring the Brain for Reading E-Book

Marilee B. Sprenger

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 279

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Using the latest neuroscience research to enhance literacy instruction Wiring the Brain for Reading introduces teachers to aspects of the brain's functions that are essential to language and reading development. Marilee Sprenger, a specialist in learning and the brain, provides practical, brain friendly, strategies for teaching essential skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The author's innovative approach aligns well with the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and is designed to enhance students' motivation and excitement in reading. * Offers a clear explanation of brain functioning in order to enhance language and reading instruction * Incorporates proven literacy strategies, games, and activities as well as classroom examples * Aligns with Common Core State Standards for learning to read, developing fluency, and interpreting complex texts Wiring the Brain for Reading offers practical strategies for applying the latest research in neuroscience and learning to the classroom.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Acknowledgments

Dedication

About the Author

About the Book

Chapter 1: Language Development

From Neural Sensitivity to Neural Commitment

The Right Way to Babble

Encouraging Speech

Windows of Opportunity

Experience and Brain Development

Ages and Stages in Language Development

An Enriched Environment for Language Development

Language and Gender

Speaking Out of Both Sides of the Brain

Activities

Summary

Chapter 2: Imaging and Imagining the Brain

The Structure of the Brain

How We See the Brain

Brain Cells

How Cells Communicate

What We Thought We Knew

What We Found Out Along the Way

Two Diverging Roads

Learning and Memory: A Definition

Summary

Chapter 3: The Body-Brain Connection

Food, Glorious Food!

The Learning Brain's Diet

To Sleep; Perchance to Remember

Making the Right Moves

Sunshine Came Softly Through My Window

Brain-Body Basics

Stress Can Hurt the Body and the Brain

What Does Bullying Do to the Brain?

Summary

Chapter 4: Breaking the Code

Phonemic Awareness

The ABCs of the ABCs

Mirror, Mirror

Neurons That Fire Together

Dr. Seuss and Mother Goose?

Getting to the Core

Teaching Phonemic Awareness

Activities

Summary

Chapter 5: Patterns and Programs and Phonics! Oh, My!

Patterns and Programs

The Alphabetic Principle

One to One? Not Exactly

The Common Core: Where Do We Stand with the Standards?

Decoding Development in the Brain

Phonics Instruction

Factors That Lead to Learning

Eenie, Meenie, Minee, Moe. Or Is It Eeny, Meany, Miny, Mo?

Activities

Summary

Chapter 6: The Fluent Reader

What Fluency Means

The Brain's Pathway to Fluency

Reading Is Pleasure

High-Frequency and Sight Words

Some Steps to Fluency

Activities

Summary

Chapter 7: Building Vocabulary

Two Types of Vocabulary

Vocabulary Development

The Common Core State Standards and Vocabulary

The Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Choosing Our Words Carefully

Activities

Summary

Chapter 8: Comprehension: Reading It and Getting It

Modeling Comprehension

Comprehension Strategies

Before, During, and After Reading: What These Strategies Have to Do with the Brain

Activities

Summary

Chapter 9: Putting It All Together

For Parents

For Teachers

Keep Learning About the Brain

References

Index

Cover illustration: © Baris Simek/iStockphoto

Cover design: Michael Cook

Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass

A Wiley Imprint

One Montgomery Street, Suite 1200, San Francisco, CA 94104-4594—www.josseybass.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax [phone], or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read.

Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax [phone].

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sprenger, Marilee, 1949–

Wiring the brain for reading: brain-based strategies for teaching literacy / Marilee Sprenger.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-58721-8 (pbk.) ISBN 978-1-118-22054-2 (ebk.) ISBN 978-1-118-23414-3 (ebk.)

ISBN 978-1-118-25891-0 (ebk.)

1. Reading. 2. Child development. 3. Brain—Growth. I. Title.

LB1573.S8215 2013

372.4—dc23

Acknowledgments

None of my work would be possible without the support of my family. To my husband, Scott, you support my writing, speaking, and traveling. Knowing you are behind me as well as beside me makes everything worthwhile. To my favorite son, Josh, you help me see the big picture and keep me practical. I respect your advice and need your influence in my life. To Marnie, my favorite daughter, thank you for believing in me and keeping me real. You call it as you see it, and I value both your knowledge and opinion. To the second author in the family, my daughter-in-law, Amy: your love of reading and writing have been inspirational for me. I look forward to many best-sellers from you. To my three incredible grandchildren, Jack, Emmie, and Maeve, watching each of you acquire the skills of reading is both educational and delightful. Seeing you excited about books always brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart.

I thank Kate Bradford, senior editor at Jossey-Bass/Wiley, for her incredible patience and expert assistance; Robin Lloyd, excellent production editor; and Diane Turso, proofreader extraordinaire.

In memory of my mother, Mollie Broms, the woman who taught me how to read, to love reading, and to read everything I see

About the Author

Marilee Sprenger is a highly regarded educator, presenter, and author who has taught students from prekindergarten through graduate school. She has been translating neuroscience research for over twenty years and has engaged audiences internationally. The author of eight books and numerous articles, Marilee is a popular keynote speaker who is passionate about brain research–based teaching strategies, which include differentiated instruction and wiring the brain for success.

Marilee is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Learning and the Brain Society, and the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. She is an adjunct professor at Aurora University, teaching graduate courses on brain-based teaching, learning and memory, and differentiation. Teachers who have read her work or heard her speak agree that they walk away with user-friendly information that they can apply at all levels.

You can contact Marilee at [email protected] or visit her website, brainlady.com.

About the Book

There is nothing more exciting than having the privilege of helping people, children and adults, learn to read. The thrill of seeing the smile on their faces and the sparkle in their eyes as they realize they have broken the code is priceless.

Mary Ann Wolf tells us in Proust and the Squid (2008) that learning to read begins the first time a book is read to an infant. This often happens in an environment filled with love for the child and the love of reading. Unfortunately, not all readers have that magical moment that provides security and attachment for the developing brain. There are children who come from homes filled with books and a love of reading. Their parents read aloud to them nightly and have elaborate conversations with them that increase their vocabulary and background knowledge. And then there are students who come to us from homes where literacy is limited. Their parents work long hours and have little time or energy to provide the background that encourages reading. Although there is no guarantee, children who come from homes filled with reading seem to have a better chance at reading success.

In this book, I share some of what I have learned about reading through my own teaching experiences, neuroscience research, and educational research and the experiences of teachers with whom I have had the privilege to work. The science of the brain has revealed exciting and important information that, when added to the educational research, creates standards for best practices in teaching reading.

There are almost seven thousand languages in the world, and babies are born with the ability to master any of them. But the brain changes as children develop, and language acquisition can become more difficult. In chapter 1, discover how children learn their native language and how the brain's approach to new languages changes with age. Developing language is exciting for parents, children, and teachers. Research is continuously being done to educate us more about how to encourage better language skills.

Through brain imaging, neuroscientists have discovered what neural connections are necessary for a brain to read easily. Chapter 2 covers the theories and applications of this research. For example, neuronal recycling is necessary for a reading pathway to form, and an understanding of how this and other parts of the brain function helps educators develop best practice and parents how to make a difference in their child's reading progress.

Reading readiness relies on the body as well as the brain. Chapter 3 introduces physical movements that enhance the brain's ability to read. The brain-body connection is powerful. Scientists believe that significant brain development occurs through movement and play.

Chapter 4 reveals how the path to reading begins. Phonemic awareness is the first step toward learning the alphabetic code. Although this skill is emphasized in kindergarten and first grade, it is important for all teachers and parents to understand the significance of making sound and letter connections. Examples of relevant activities are provided in this and other chapters.

After breaking the alphabetic code, the brain needs to be taught how to recognize patterns. Phonics is introduced in chapter 5. The task of learning to read now becomes visual as well as auditory as students learn how to associate sounds with visual representations. Phonics teaches students the most common sound-spelling relationships so that they can decode, or sound out, words.

The next logical step in teaching reading is fluency. Chapter 6 discusses what fluency is and why it matters. The ability to read with expression, speed, and accuracy allows the brain to focus on the content of the reading and enables better comprehension.

Chapter 7 covers teaching vocabulary. The importance of having a large vocabulary is reflected in two important research discoveries: that 85 percent of standardized tests are based on vocabulary and that vocabulary is one way to increase academic background knowledge (Marzano & Pickering, 2005). Learn which vocabulary words from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are vital to success, as well as strategies to increase tier 2 words (high-frequency words that occur across a variety of domains), which are considered a large part of the mature reader's vocabulary.

Finally, chapter 8 focuses on reading comprehension. Discover how working memory aids with comprehension and learn many before-, during-, and after-reading strategies to enhance comprehension and memory.

The CCSS heavily emphasize students' ability to read complex text independently and proficiently at every level of development, from kindergarten through grade 12. In order for this to take place, all teachers need the skills to recognize reading difficulties and have strategies to assist struggling readers. Teaching students how to read closely and deeply using a strategy like questioning will help reveal where in the reading process a problem may lie. For instance, if a student cannot summarize what she reads, the teacher or parent can ask who, what, where, why, and how questions to get at the heart of the matter: a memory problem, a vocabulary issue, or an inability to sound out words properly. They can take this useful information to find a starting point to help train the learner's brain for reading.

Chapter 1

Language Development

Maeve was born already recognizing the voices of her mother and father. She had been able to hear her mother while in the womb as soon as her ability to hear sound developed by the end of the second trimester of the pregnancy. Soon after, as Maeve's daddy started reading to her and speaking to her in his soothing voice while keeping his mouth close to her mother's belly, she began to respond to the sound of his voice. The clarity of such verbiage to the unborn child has been questioned. But the moment Maeve was born, she responded and turned toward the voices of both Mommy and Daddy.