Margo Wood

Michael P. O'Donnell

Becoming a Reader: A Developmental Approach to Reading Instruction, Second Edition, is intended as a basic developmental reading text for preservice and in-sevice teachers. It has been our experience in teaching undergraduate and graduate students in education that a developmental perspective of literacy learning provides a helpful framework for understanding the process. We have found that most textbooks on reading methods are organized topically, with chapters on word identification, comprehension, study strategies, use of basal readers, literature, and classroom organization. Becoming a Reader is organized differently. We use a stage model of reading development to describe how children become skilled readers. Specific topics (such as word identification and comprehension) are discussed within this broader framework. The text represents a synthesis of current thinking about how literacy is acquired. We have endeavored to produce a reader-friendly text by providing concise descriptions of the various aspects of literacy learning and instruction, supplemented by examples and case studies. To avoid overburdening the reader with lengthy literature reviews, have have cited only the most current and relevant sources to document and support the viewpoints presented. As you read the text, bear in mind that we regard literacy learning as a language-learning process that is best acquired through the functional, purposeful use of print. The instructional methods we advocate reflect this basic premise.

Michael P. O'Donnell

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