The most comprehensive and practical guide to understanding and applying the science of reading to improve literacy instruction.
After effectively teaching phonics in the early grades, what does the science of reading tell us should happen in literacy classes? The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading by Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Colleen Driggs, addresses the pressing challenges educators face in effectively incorporating the Science of Reading into their instruction once students already know how to decode. By offering actionable guidance grounded in seven evidence-based principles, this book helps teachers elevate their instructional practices and better prepare students to be lifelong readers and thinkers.
Grounded in proven classroom instruction, the book focuses on techniques that can allow teachers to use the science as effectively and actionably as possible. The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading is enhanced with more than 50 video clips from the classroom and covers ways to practically apply the Science of Reading. The book describes the often overlooked role of fluency in reading comprehension, even into the high school years; the profound importance of managing and socializing attention in an age of technology; the central role of background knowledge in understanding text; and the doubly important role of teaching vocabulary as a form of knowledge. It adds a discussion of how writing can make students better readers and how important it is that reading classes focus on reading actual books—great ones, ideally. And it closes with a discussion of close reading and the challenge of preparing students to rise to the challenge of complex text.
Inside the book:
An innovative approach to building and reinforcing background knowledge in reading Over 50 video demonstrations of effective teaching techniques Sample lesson plans and materials for immediate classroom application
The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading is essential for educators, literacy coaches, and administrators who aim to foster rigorous literacy instruction in their classrooms and schools. This guide shows you how to implement techniques that ensure students find joy in reading and become better, wiser, more engaged and more motivated readers, both in their classrooms and in their lives beyond.
By:
Doug Lemov,
Colleen Driggs,
Erica Woolway
Imprint: Jossey Bass
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 2nd ed.
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 185mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 635g
ISBN: 9781394305995
ISBN 10: 1394305990
Pages: 480
Publication Date: 04 August 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
About the Authors ix Acknowledgments xi How to Use This Book xiii Introduction: “The Science of Reading”: Shockwaves from a Podcast xvii 1 The Science of Reading in Seven Key Arguments 1 A Broad Base of Research 3 Seven Key Research- Backed Arguments About “Post- Phonics” Reading 4 “The Single Most Important Thing for Teachers to Know” 31 But Will Students Dislike It? 38 Notes 41 2 Attending to Attention 47 The Book Is Dying 49 We Wire How We Fire 55 Intentional Ways of Reading for Attention and Connection 61 High Text, Low Tech 71 Book- Driven Objectives 76 Principles of Reading in Action 79 Chapter Recap 82 Notes 82 3 Fluency and Ways of Reading 87 Orthographic Mapping 92 Balancing Three Ways of Reading 95 Teacher Read Aloud 97 Fase Reading 109 Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) 126 Chapter Recap 134 Notes 135 4 The Hidden Power of Background Knowledge 137 Research on Knowledge 139 We Know Knowledge Matters– Why Don’t We Act That Way? 141 Performance on the New York State ELA End- of- Year State Test Grades 3–8 (2022–2023) 149 Embedded Nonfiction 151 Embellishments and Knowledge Feeding 163 Knowledge Organizers 168 Retrieval Practice 172 The Forgetting Curve 175 The Recursiveness of Knowledge: Putting It All Together 179 Chapter Recap 182 Notes 182 5 Vocabulary Reconsidered 185 Explicit Vocabulary Instruction 194 Implicit Vocabulary Instruction 205 The Vocabulary Case for Reading Aloud (and FASE) 210 Lesson Preparation 213 Recursiveness of Vocabulary 217 Chapter Recap 219 Notes 219 6 Using Writing to Develop Readers 221 “Write Down Some Ideas First” 225 Writing for Reading: Principles of Writing to Build Literacy 231 Putting It All Together 271 Chapter Recap 273 Notes 274 7 The Power of the Book 277 Why Have All the Books Gone? 282 Stories are Cognitively Privileged 285 The Medium Is the Message 290 Books Provide Valuable Cultural Capital 291 All Books Are Equal, But Some Books Are More Equal Than Others 294 Getting Them to Read 299 Chapter Recap 302 Notes 304 8 Close Reading 307 Jen Brimming’s Close Reading of Lord of the Flies 309 Short Bursts and Opportunities to Encode 319 Selecting Complex Texts for Close Reading 322 Selecting Textual Excerpts 325 The Critical Importance of Establishing Meaning 328 Attentionally Privileged Environments 335 More Examples of Effective Close Reading Questions 338 Knowledge, Disambiguation, and Close Reading 348 Close Reading in the Context of a Lesson 350 Chapter Recap 359 Notes 360 Appendix A: Full Sample Lesson, Seventh Grade 363 Appendix B: Full Sample Lesson, Ninth Grade 375 Appendix C: Decoding Tips 393 Appendix D: Reading Reconsidered Curriculum: The Giver Fluency Practice: Sample Materials 397 Appendix E: Materials for Knowledge Building: Embedded Texts 403 Index 419
Doug Lemov is the author of Teach Like a Champion, now in its third edition, and other influential books about teaching. Colleen Driggs is the Managing Director of Curriculum and School Support of Teach Like a Champion and former middle school literacy teacher and coach. She is a coauthor of Reading Reconsidered. Erica Woolway is the President and Chief Academic Officer of Teach Like a Champion. Erica is a former kindergarten teacher and elementary school leader. She is coauthor of Practice Perfect and Reading Reconsidered.
