Accelerating Language Skills and Content Knowledge through Shared Book Reading

Students in early childhood settings don’t always get the benefits of shared book reading - a strategy proven to boost language skills and content knowledge. Prepare the next generation of teachers to make the most of shared reading with this accessible textbook, a complete guide to building vocabulary-rich science and social studies lessons and discussions around storybooks and informational texts. Field-tested with children in high-poverty school settings, this instructional approach is valuable for any young learners at risk for comprehension difficulties.

This concise book presents the authors’ proven, empirically based “Project WORLD” (Words of Oral Reading and Language Development) framework for integrating shared book reading into the classroom. Offering both big-picture curriculum design principles and specific instructional strategies, this text gives teachers the know-how they need to accelerate language skills, vocabulary development, and high-priority science and social studies content knowledge for all young children. Ideal for preservice teacher education courses and in-service professional development!

This accessible textbook prepares early childhood educators to teach vocabulary-rich science and social studies lessons through shared book reading. Presents a complete framework for boosting language skills and content knowledge.

GET TEACHERS READY TO:Use the most effective shared book reading and vocabulary practicesTeach new vocabulary while introducing key science and social studies conceptsAlign vocabulary instruction with content standards and objectivesStimulate and expand children’s oral language abilities via interactive book discussionsImplement a framework tested in collaboration with Head Start and preschool teachersChoose their own books and vocabulary words to teachDesign lesson plans that get resultsBuild a strong foundation for children’s future success in science and social studiesAdvance learning with proven teaching techniques, such as multiple exposures to words and connected concepts and strategiesSuccessfully teach both English language learners and native English speakers

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: A step-by-step Shared Book Reading Instructional Unit Planner, sample vocabulary words with child-friendly definitions, real-life classroom vignettes with embedded instructional techniques and suggestions, examples of appropriate storybooks and informational texts paired by science or social studies themes, and tools to support teachers’ content vocabulary instruction.