"An absolute must-read, must-understand, and must-do for all primary teachers and principals. Nevills and Wolfe's book addresses the difficult issues of diagnosis and intervention with early readers before they begin to struggle." —Judy Bean, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment Colville School District, WA "A unique resource that provides a biological foundation for effective reading strategies. It is a valuable resource for any educator." —Deborah Tucker, Science and Literacy Education Consultant Discover how children's brains change as they develop early reading skills! This updated edition of the best-selling book covers brain theory and research to give educators a clear picture of how children acquire and develop language skills in preparation for reading. Moving through skills acquisition from birth to age eight, this resource provides best teaching practices for fostering critical literacy skills for each age group. This second edition features updated research, expanded information on English learners and Response to Intervention, and information about mirror neurons, sensory input, and decoding pathways. Readers will find: Developmentally appropriate, brain-friendly strategies for building phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency skills Instructional applications for games, music, and play Interventions for children with early reading difficulties Building the Reading Brain, PreK–3 sheds light on early childhood cognition and language development to help teachers provide all young learners with a strong foundation for reading success.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction 1. On the Nature of Reading The Importance of Learning to Read Why Learning to Read Is So Difficult The Basics of Reading Reflective Questions 2. What Happens in the Brain When Children Read Words? Brain Basics Reading Problems With a Biological Basis Attention and Memory Systems Reflective Questions 3. Building a Foundation for Reading: Birth to Age 3 Reading Relies on Early Language Skills The Beginnings of Language The Language Explosion: 1 to 2 Years Precursors to Writing in the First 3 Years Reflective Questions 4. Emerging Literacy During the Preschool Years Mirror Neurons Drive Learning Oral Language and Vocabulary Print Awareness and Alphabet Developing Writing Skills Reflective Questions 5. Beginning to Read: Ages 5 and 6 Instruction Essentials for Emerging Readers The Brain′s Memory Systems Breaking Away From Static Teaching Tradition Priming Skills for 5- and 6-Year-Olds Reflective Questions 6. Breaking the Reading Code: Learning to Read Through Instruction Reading and Language Arts Guidelines for Kindergarten and First Grade Structuring the Brain for Decoding Word Recognition Gains Sophistication Teaching Encoding: Spelling and Writing Reading Beyond Encoding and Decoding Reflective Questions 7. Assessing and Responding to Readers at Risk The Case for Early Assessment English Language Learners Assessments of Students With Regularly Developing Reading Skills Differences in Brain Development Assessment and Reading Standards Response to Intervention: Reading Models School Interventions That Work Reflective Questions 8. Comprehension and Vocabulary: Challenges for Second Grade Reading and Language Arts Guidelines for Second Grade Instruction for Vocabulary and Comprehension Ways to Teach the Curious Brain Building the Brain for Comprehension Strategic Reading With Comprehension in Mind Reflective Questions 9. Putting Reading Skills to the Task: Expectations for Third Grade and Beyond Reading and Language Arts Guidelines for Third Grade Factors Affecting Reading Fluency The Brain′s Rate of Processing Developing Reading Fluency Final Comments Reflective Questions 10. Conclusion A Child′s Brain and Reading: A Dozen Key Learnings Glossary Instructional Resources References and Further Reading Index