Preschoolers tend to talk about whatever is at hand—literally. They need toys, blocks, building sets, books, art supplies, puppets, dress-ups, kitchen items, and the like to hold, touch, play with, and manipulate. Most preschoolers cannot chat about weather or abstract concepts; they need tangible and interesting "props" to talk about. Teachers and childcare providers can encourage talk with a wide variety of materials in their classrooms. They need to refresh or add to these materials frequently, so children have new things to explore and talk about all the time.

In their book Speaking and Listening for Preschool Through Third Grade, authors Lauren B. Resnick and Catherine E. Snow offer this and many other suggestions for encouraging young learners to talk a lot and develop their oral language skills. The user-friendly book-plus-DVD resource outlines speaking and listening standards that children can be expected to achieve as they progress from preschool through the primary grades. Rich descriptions, color photos, and powerful video performances depict a clear picture of what each grade level standard looks and sounds like as demonstrated by real kids in real classrooms.

You can see preschoolers talking a lot in a real classroom in this video clip from the DVD:

Video clip: Talking a Lot: Informal Snack Table Conversation

Listen to the accompanying audio commentary on how these children can talk for various purposes:

Audio clip: Talking a Lot commentary

To learn more strategies to keep your learners talking, download the Introduction of Speaking and Listening for Preschool Through Third Grade:

Free chapter: Learning to Speak and Listen

To read more about this book-plus-DVD resource or order online, click here.

Each year IRA's bimonthly newspaper, Reading Today, features a survey of literacy leaders to determine the hottest topics in the field. The complete listing of what's hot and what's not in literacy for 2009 will appear in the February/March issue of Reading Today, but here's your sneak peek at one "very hot" topic for 2009. For the second year in a row, Response to Intervention (RTI) is "very hot."

To learn what you need to know to implement RTI in your school or district, turn to the expert advice in Response to Intervention: A Framework for Reading Educators. Leading experts in literacy and special education outline a three-tier approach to implementing RTI that begins with effective instruction for all children, moves to preventive tutoring, and concludes with a reformed concept of special education.

To learn more about RTI, download Chapter 5 of Response to Intervention: A Framework for Reading Educators:

Free chapter: Implications of RTI for the Reading Teacher

To read more about the book or order online, click here.

If you're looking for a cogent primer on early intervention, check out the bestselling, groundbreaking resource No Quick Fix, THE RTI Edition. This special edition outlines the key factors essential for effective reform of early literacy programs and features proven, cost-effective models of early intervention and successful case studies that fit the RTI model.

To read more about the book or order online, click here.

Hear Richard L. Allington—one of No Quick Fix's editors—discuss research-supported models for early reading intervention:

Podcast: Allington on RTI



To learn more about what reading teachers need to know about RTI, download a recent article from The Reading Teacher—IRA's peer-reviewed journal for educators working with children up to age 12:

Free article: Response to Intervention (RTI): What Teachers of Reading Need to Know

To read more about The Reading Teacher or subscribe online, click here.

Mrs. Lee: During story retelling, Manuel does not participate as much as [the other students]...because he is repeating what the other kids are saying. He tries hard. I briefly explain to him what is going on in the story and I tell him to pay close attention to the pictures. This helps him understand better....

Mrs. Lee, a monolingual, English-speaking teacher in a large urban school, is concerned that some of her first-grade English-language learners do not participate in class discussions about the books she reads aloud. If you're a primary grade teacher with ELLs in your classroom, you've probably shared her frustration. But you can help your ELLs with the read-aloud activities you already use in your classroom. Find the strategies you need to transform your read-aloud activities into powerful tools for developing listening comprehension and oral language proficiency in your language learners in a new book, Dynamic Read-Aloud Strategies for English Learners: Building Language and Literacy in the Primary Grades.

To learn more about strategies to help your ELLs understand what's being read in class, download Chapter 1 of Dynamic Read-Aloud Strategies for English Learners:

Free chapter: Strategic Read-Aloud Lessons: What the Research Says

To read more about this book or order online, click here.

Shape a meaningful and cost-effective professional development experience for yourself and your colleagues with study group strategies found in the Professional Development Edition of What Research Has To Say About Reading Instruction. In addition to a copy of the book, this PD edition includes a facilitator's guide with ideas and strategies for leading the group, a CD with handouts and forms, and the option to purchase additional books at a 10% discount.

Put on your best game show host persona. Assemble your teams. And cue the cheesy theme song....It's time to play the Wild Words Game Show!

Throw away those boring weekly word memorization lists and teach your middle grade students a better way to spell with language patterns and spelling strategies outlined in Strategic Spelling. The Wild Words Game Show pits teams of two or three students in a word challenge competition of three to five words. Students work together to list the most logical spelling for each word based on their use of spelling strategies including syllables, word-in-word, rhyme, and spelling-meaning connection. They record their spelling, the strategies they used, and evidence of why their strategies work. Their efforts are scored based on 3 possible points per spelling—one each for correct spelling, use of appropriate strategies, and evidence provided. Keep team scores listed on the board to encourage friendly competition between the teams and offer random rewards such as a special privilege.

For more strategies that will make spelling fun and engaging for your students, download Chapter 3 of Strategic Spelling:

Free chapter: Pattern Activities

To read more about the book or order online at the special price of $9.95, click here.

To see other selected IRA books on sale for under $10 for a limited time, click here.

Good news, bad news in "Reading on the Rise" report

Using "computer-esque" books to lure boys to read

ReadWriteThink.org offers February calendar

TV for tots does more harm than good, study says

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