Publications
K-12 Literacy Development Using Children's Literature
The activities in these three strategy books are developed for differentiated instruction. The activities, focused around a particular 'Big Idea' and using one or more pieces of literature, are designed to accommodate the needs of learners at more than one phase of reading development. The source for the differentiated instructional focuses is the Developmental Continuum that the authors have created and refined over many years (a copy is at the back of each book).
Each book contains multiple literacy activity packets to use in the classroom to:
support reading and language development
integrate curriculum while exploring "Big Ideas"
address common core reading and language standards
provide practice in Montessori-inspired grammar activities
Teaching Strategies Series
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Traditional Tales
This volume contains 30 Activity Packets using traditional tales (e.g., folk tales, myths, fairy tales) to support children’s K-12 reading development using literature rich in cultural context and universal themes. References to themes and morals from traditional tales are found in every aspect of our lives, from an emoji with Pinocchio’s long nose representing lying to a politician calling out an opponent’s exaggerations as “crying wolf” to references in comic strips like Mother Goose and Grimm. We feel it is important to expose children to these tales in elementary school so they understand the references they will encounter later on.
The engaging activities expose learners to traditional literature while providing language and reading support. The relevance to Common Core Standards is provided along with suggestions for differentiating instruction to support each reader. This is Book One in a three volume teaching strategy series.
Phinney, M.Y. & Ward, G.C. (2020) Traditional Tales: 30 Activities for Differentiated Instruction.
Amazon Independent Publisher.
ASIN: B0C9SDMK6J -
Interconnectedness
This volume contains thirty-four teaching packets for using quality children's literature to support K-12 reading development while building an understanding of the Big Ideas of Interconnectedness and Interdependence, supporting differentiated instruction and addressing relevant Common Core Standards. The activity packets provide language and reading support strategies while providing exploration ideas for fiction and non-fiction texts around the sub-themes of connecting to nature, connecting to others in the world and connecting to themselves. This is Book Two in a three volume teaching strategy series.
Phinney, M.Y. & Ward, G.C. (2022) Interconnectedness: Connecting to Self, Others, Nature and Society.
Amazon Independent Publisher.
ASIN: B09NTZX2MJ -
Social Justice
In this volume, literature related to the concepts of “Social Justice” is the context for literacy exploration. This kind of literature involves multiple genres and addresses varied topics in social studies and the humanities. There are materials appropriate for all ages and reading experience levels. We acknowledge that Social Justice is a complex topic focused on striving for diversity, equity and inclusion in our communities without bias related to race, ethnicity, gender preference, age, or ability. We also acknowledge that to ultimately be a change agent, one must experience value of oneself, others and the environment as well as having the opportunity to explore models of change agents who used their voices and actions to make our world a more just place. The texts and topics explored in these packets invite the exploration of developmentally appropriate themes leading to a growing understanding of social justice.
In these suggested packets, we use a variety of texts. Texts were selected for their meaning in terms of social justice and possibilities for student connection-making, as well as for their context for practicing varied reading strategies. This is Book Three in a three volume teaching strategy series.
Ward, G.C. & Phinney, M.Y. (2023) 36 Sets of Classroom Activities Using SOCIAL JUSTICE Literature for Differentiated Instruction.
Amazon Independent Publisher.
ASIN: B0C9SDMK6J
Reading Development:
A Handbook of Assessment and Instruction
(Volumes 1 and 2)
This is a rich resource for assessing and teaching reading. It lays out a developmental continuum of reading behaviors starting at birth and continuing through the fully mature and developed adult reader. The Continuum is organized into three major components: Engagement, Comprehension, and Language-to-Print. Each component is broken down into several major categories of reading behaviors. The Continuum is divided into seven phases of development, from the Pre-Verbal through the Flexible Phase. Each phase has a set of fully defined sub-categories of behaviors appropriate to that level framed as questions so that the Continuum becomes a functional assessment tool. (e.g., “Does the reader word-match with steady fluency, phrase-chunking appropriately?”) As such, it allows teachers to plan for differentiated instruction that pinpoints specific learning needs. Every behavior is accompanied by a set of suggested instructional strategies for helping the learner become competent with that behavior. Hundreds of engaging trade books of all genres are included in the teacher-tried activities, thereby freeing educators from over reliance on basal reading programs that don’t always meet the needs of all learners.
Volume 1 focuses on pre-reading and early reading development, covering Pre-Verbal, Pre-Print, Emergent, and Print-Focused Phases. Volume 2 focuses on the Print-Focused, Consolidation, Silent, and Flexible Phases. Both volumes include the Introduction and Overview chapters and a copy of the full Continuum. Literacy standards can be met through using strategies in this resource to support learners.
This resource is appropriate for all educators interested in supporting reading development: regular, special, and ELL teachers at all levels, teacher educators and teacher trainees, reading specialists and resource personnel, parents, home-schoolers, Montessori educators, administrators, and district reading supervisors. It allows schools as well as individual teachers and home-schooling parents to customize their plans to meet the needs of the learners in their care.