Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills

Judith R. Birsh, Ed.D., Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Qualified Instructor (QI). Dr. Birsh's enduring belief that well-prepared, informed teachers are the major influence on effective instruction in the field of reading and dyslexia had its beginning in 1960, when she met her first student who, although 18 years old, read poorly. The quest to find answers to this puzzle led her to a master's degree in remedial reading and a doctorate in reading and language at Teachers College, Columbia University. After training with Aylett R. Cox in Dallas, Texas, she became a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor, founding and directing the Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills courses at Teachers College in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Program in Learning Disabilities. Since her retirement in 2000, Dr. Birsh has maintained her commitment to teacher preparation by editing the first three editions of Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills, and co-editing the fourth edition with Suzanne Carreker, Ph.D. Dr. Birsh has given professional development workshops, consulted with private and public schools, written articles, and worked with students with dyslexia. In 2008, she received the Luke Waites Academic Language Therapy Association Award of Service and the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Dyslexia Association.

• About the Online Companion MaterialsAbout the EditorsAbout the ContributorsForeword Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D.PrefaceAcknowledgementsDedicationSection I: Introduction to Multisensory Teaching1.Connecting Research and Practice Judith R. Birsh2.Structured Literacy Instruction Mary L. Farrell and Nancy Cushen WhiteSection II: Pre-reading/Literacy Skills 3.Oral Language Development and Its Relationship to Literacy Lydia Soifer4.Pre-Kindergarten Literacy Eve Robinson, Carolyn DeVito, and Gloria TrabuccoAlphabet Knowledge: Letter Recognition, Naming, and Sequencing Kay A. Allen, with Graham F. Neuhaus and Marilyn C. Beckwith6. Teaching Phonemic Awareness Lucy Hart PaulsonSection III: Beginning Reading/literacy Skills7. Assessment of Reading Skills: A Review of Select Key Ideas and Best Practices Eileen S. Marzola and Larry E. Hess8.The Role of Executive Function in Literacy Instruction Monica Gordon-Pershey9.Teaching Reading: Accurate Decoding Suzanne Carreker10. Teaching Spelling Suzanne Carreker11. Multi-Modal handwriting Instruction for Pencil and Technology Tools Beverly J. Wolf and Virginia Berninger12. Fluency in Learning to Read: Conceptions, Misconceptions, Learning Disabilities, and Instructional Moves Katherine Garnett13. Math Learning Disabilities & Katherine Garnett and Colleen UscianowskiSection III: Advanced Reading/Literacy Skills14. The History and Structure of Written English Marcia K. Henry15. Working With Word Meaning: Vocabulary Instruction Nancy Hennessy16. Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension in the Multisensory Classroom Eileen S. Marzola17. Composition: Evidence-Based Instruction Judith C. Hochman and Betsy Duffy18. Designing the Learning Environment and Planning Multisensory Structured Literacy Lessons Judith R. Birsh, Jean Schedler, and Robin SingerSection IV: Instructional Strategies for Specific Populations and Skill Areas19.   Language and Literacy Development Among English Language Learners Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan20. Instruction for Older Students with a Word-Level Reading Disability Barbara A. Wilson21. Working with High Functioning Adults with Dyslexia and Other Learning Challenges Susan BlumenthalGlossary