Review
Praise for Strive-for-Five Conversations by Tricia A. Zucker and Sonia Q. Cabell
“To become successful readers, young children need to engage in thoughtful conversations with adults. But most teachers don’t get good training in making those conversations happen. This book is exactly what they need: a clear, practical guide to providing all children with the oral language practice that lays the foundation for their later reading comprehension.”
—NATALIE WEXLER, author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System—And How to Fix It
“I hope this book puts to rest, finally, the harmful notion that ‘science of reading’ is just about phonics. Foundational literacy skills, such as phonics, are essential. But so is oral language. Zucker and Cabell provide a rationale and many ideas for conversations in the classroom to help drive children’s oral language development and—ultimately—their literacy.”
—CLAUDE GOLDENBERG, Ph.D., Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education, Emeritus, Stanford University
“At last, we have an extremely accessible book written for teachers of young children about how to have conversations and why they matter! And it’s so inviting! The design and illustrations make you want to learn more about how language fuels children’s success in school.”
—ROBERTA MICHNICK GOLINKOFF, Ph.D., Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Professor, University of Delaware; coauthor of Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice
“Zucker and Cabell have a knack for translating state-of-the-art research on early language development and instruction into every day, easy-to-implement practices for teachers. I am thrilled educators have such rich work to guide their conversations with children. Bravo!”
—LAURA JUSTICE, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, The Ohio State University; coauthor of Language Development From Theory to Practice
“Teachers of young children will find Strive-for-Five Conversations a powerful tool for building language comprehension skills in an accessible format with model conversations, as well as advice on selecting text to build vocabulary, reasoning skills, and knowledge of text structures. Wise tips for teaching multilingual students are also included.”
—BARBARA R. FOORMAN, Ph.D., Emerita Professor of Education, Florida State University; coauthor of Phonemic Awareness in Young Children
“Kudos to Drs. Zucker and Cabell for creating such a highly useful manual for parents, caregivers, and teachers to strategically (with joy and purpose) support children’s language development, which is key to helping all students become skillful readers and writers.”
—JAN HASBROUCK, Ph.D., researcher/consultant; author of Conquering Dyslexia: A Guide to Early Detection and Intervention for Teachers and Families
“This practical guide helps early childhood educators begin meaningful conversations with young children. With their five turns for centering brain-boosting language interactions, along with their perfect balance of research and classroom examples, Zucker and Cabell offer endless possibilities to jumpstart early literacy.”
—MOLLY NESS, Ph.D., teacher educator and reading researcher; author of Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8
“Young children need many opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations in the classroom, but it can be hard to make that happen during busy schooldays. This wonderful book shows us how! The authors provide an engaging and practical guide to supporting children in sharing their thinking and building knowledge through conversations.”
—TANYA S. WRIGHT, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Language and Literacy, Michigan State University; author of A Teacher’s Guide to Vocabulary Development Across the Day, Grades K–3
“For too long, teachers have been told to ‘talk to kids,’ with no guidelines for doing it effectively. With Strive-for-Five Conversations, they finally get a research-based approach for engaging kids in talk that develops oral language and builds literacy. Using everyday turn-taking practices, teachers learn to make every interaction with children count.”
—MARIA S. CARLO, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of South Florida, Department of Child & Family Studies
“Teachers are often reminded by reading scientists that they need to ‘develop children’s oral language skills.’ Detail on how to do that, though, is typically thin, and teachers are none the wiser as to what that looks like in practice. Strive-for-Five Conversations is an invaluable asset for preservice and practicing teachers, and a game-changer for their students.”
—PAMELA C. SNOW, Ph.D., Professor of Cognitive Psychology and Co-Director of the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab, School of Education, La Trobe University, Australia
“Through meaningful conversations with students, primary teachers can provide the knowledge base and language structures that lay the foundation for school success. Zucker and Cabell offer a practical framework for structuring those conversations. They show that the science of reading includes the important role of oral language development in literacy instruction.”
—HUGH W. CATTS, Ph.D., Professor, School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University
About the Author
Tricia Zucker, Ph.D. is an education researcher, former teacher, and mom of three girls. She is a Professor of Pediatrics and Co-Director of the Children’s Learning Institute at University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Dr. Zucker’s research focuses on early literacy and language development for children experiencing learning difficulties.
Sonia Cabell, Ph.D., is an associate professor of reading education in the School of Teacher Education and the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University. A former second grade teacher and literacy coach, Dr. Cabell’s research focuses on early literacy instruction. She serves as an advisor for a variety of national organizations and state departments of education.
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