Building The Reading Brain, PreK-3.BUILDING THE READING BRAIN, PRE K-3. Patricia Wolfe & Pamela Nevills. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , CA: Corwin Press, 2004. 182 pp. Paperback, $28.95; hardcover, $64.95. Patricia Wolfe, lecturer and author of the popular Brain Matters, Translating Research Into Classroom Practice, joins with education consultant Pamela Nevills to combine expertise and passion regarding the brain's role in developing reading. The authors propose that to remediate re·me·di·a·tion n. The act or process of correcting a fault or deficiency: remediation of a learning disability. re·me early reading problems, "a systematic study of the brain may offer the best hope" (p. 14). Drawing on cutting-edge neurobiological neu·ro·bi·ol·o·gy n. The biological study of the nervous system or any part of it. neu  ro·bi research in reading and
language, the authors translate relevant scientific information into
recommendations for effective reading practices. They note that brain
studies reveal a natural propensity for language. They discuss the
biological basis of language and reading development and look carefully
at key brain structures that can develop visual, auditory, attention,
and memory problems that affect reading success.
All children, but especially at-risk children and second language learners, need early detection and remediation of reading problems. Wolfe and Nevills reassure readers that "regardless of the source of the reading problem, nearly all deficits can be overcome with appropriate direct explicit instruction" (p. 152). The authors clarify developing reading processes, which include phonemic awareness Phonemic Awareness is a subset of phonological awareness in which listeners are able to distinguish phonemes, the smallest units of sound that can differentiate meaning. For example, a listener with phonemic awareness can break the word "Cat" into three separate phonemes: /k/, /a/, , print concepts, phonics phonics Method of reading instruction that breaks language down into its simplest components. Children learn the sounds of individual letters first, then the sounds of letters in combination and in simple words. , word recognition, spelling, writing, comprehension, and fluency. With this information as background, assessment tools and remedial strategies and programs are reviewed and aligned with each reading process. This specific knowledge allows the teacher or parent to match the child's reading needs with the correct remedial approach. A few of the remedial programs reviewed include Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS DIBELS Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills ), Fast ForWord Overview Fast ForWord is a family of educational software products intended to enhance cognitive skills of children, especially focused on developing "phonological awareness" (discussed below). , Lindamood-Bell, Visualizing and Verbalizing, Earobics, Read Naturally, and Language. Nancy Speaker, lecturer in the field of reading at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
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