Informal Reading Inventory: Preprimer to Twelfth Grade, Sixth Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the Burns Roe inventories for the past seven years in my elementary classes and Reading Tutor program. I find that while some of the passages are good, others are very difficult to use. The vocabulary in some passages is very outdated (like the use of the terms "bookmobile," "fife," and "roof slates"). Also, there are many stories that present situations and topics very unknown to second language learners. I also do not like that the passages are excerpts from stories, with no apparent starting points or endings. In fact, I feel that I can only successfully use two or three of the passages for each level, since the others do not give me a true reflection of students' reading comprehension.
Another problem I have is with the word lists. There is a tremendous jump in word difficulty from Level 3 to Level 4. Most of my students can read Level 5 words more easily that those in level 4. To go from words like "yellow" and "welcome" to "ancient" and "government" is a bit much.
Overall, I think that the format of the inventory is good. I just think it is time to add new, up-to-date, and less confusing passages.

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This popular supplement is widely used by preservice and inservice teachers to assess or test students' reading progress. Its key features are a unique K–12 scope and numerous strategies for assessing students' vocabulary, phonics, and comprehension of text.

The book's clear instructions help teachers administer, score, and interpret tests. Its perforated, punched, spiralbound format makes it easy to use in one-to-one teacher-student testing situations. All passages and word lists in this reliable supplement have been field-tested over numerous editions.

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Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, 4th Edition (Book, CD & DVD) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)My children attended a public school where this program was used. When I brought them home due to their various LDs/allergies, I balked at the $40 price tag of this book and opted for the less expensive Spectrum Spelling books for their grade level. I found those to be rather annoying because often my children already knew the words. And the ones they didn't know, they would spell correctly on the tests, but they didn't necessarily continue to spell the words correctly in their writing. Mid-way through the year I abandoned the Spectrum books and purchased this one.
My favorite thing about this approach is how the kids really think about and interact with the words. It is a disciplined program, I require my kids to do a word sort and an activity in their spelling journals every day -- their choice. However, this typically takes less than 10 minutes a day.
The other thing I do is pretest the kids every week to find out which words they need to study. If they already know a spelling pattern, then I don't give it to them and move on to the next one. Sometimes I pull misspelled words out of their writing, and then find the pattern that applies and give them those words for the week.
I will say, that for most homeschoolers, this book is pretty heavy on the theory, and the "how-to" is mixed up with the theory so it may take more work up front to start the program if you are unfamiliar with the idea of spelling notebooks and word activities. But it is quite fascinating, and will give you a new appreciation for a young child's emerging spelling skills, as well as concrete strategies for helping older students with more complex words.
As for content, the book covers spelling from pre-K through at least middle school, perhaps early high school.
And the CD-Rom is a real time-saver too, with its words for sorts and activities.
All in all, quite effective, very interesting, and a great value - you buy this once and then purchase simple notebooks or composition books for their spelling journals, and you are set for years to come.


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Words Their Way's developmentally-driven, hands-on instructional approach has been a phenomenon in word study, providing a practical way to study words with students. The keys to this research-based approach are to know your students' literacy progress, organize for instruction, and implement word study. This streamlined book and the DVD and CD-ROM that accompany it gives you all the tools you need to carry out word study instruction that will motivate and engage your students, and help them to succeed in literacy learning. Ordered in a developmental format, Words Their Way complements the use of any existing phonics, spelling, and vocabulary curricula.

Knowing Your Students

Streamlined Chapter 2 provides step by step guidelines for assessing students.
Words Their Way Word Study Resources CD: Assessment Planning and Additional Interactive Word Sorts contains computerized assessments to gauge students' developmental levels.
Word Study with English Learner sections in each chapter help you organize and adapt instruction to meet the needs of students whose first language is not English.

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