Catching Readers, Grades 4/5

"When we're true to children's developmental needs and know which books to put in their hands, good things fall into place. The key is to focus on the children and the practices we know help them to read at each grade level," says Barbara Taylor. These foundational beliefs have been the focus of Barbara Taylor's career and inspired her to create the Early Intervention in Reading (EIR) process. After more than two decades of classroom practice and refinement, Barbara Taylor has translated her EIR process into the Catching Readers series (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, and 4-5). Powerful Intervention Strategies for Your Classroom
- Daily, small-group interventions help struggling first graders read on level by spring.
- Instruction focuses on word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension development.
- The use of trade books and leveled books reinforces and extends guided reading instruction.
- Live-from-the-classroom video clips show the lessons in action.
- Practical classroom-tested teaching tools include 100+ pages of reproducibles for teachers and students. Empowering Professional Development for Your School
- A clear consistent framework fosters schoolwide coherence and continuity.
- A month-by-month planning guide helps organize teaching across grade levels.
- The lessons in action video clips are ideal for group analysis.
- Dynamic Internet and consulting services support professional learning communities. Based on a Scientifically Proven Program
The Early Intervention in Reading (EIR) program, developed by Barbara Taylor of the University of Minnesota, provides an in-class alternative to traditional pull-out remedial reading programs. It consists of supplemental instruction provided by the first-grade classroom teacher rather than by other personnel. The program has been tested in several locales and has proven that teachers can intervene to support struggling readers.
Click here to learn more about the EIR program.
Click here to review EIR's efficacy studies, research base, and teacher evaluations.
Click here to review the U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse Report.
Click here to review EIR's "promising rating" by the Promising Practices Network.
Click here to read the review by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

Barbara Taylor has been active in reading research and outreach to schools throughout her career as a professor at the University of Minnesota. In addition to developing the Early Intervention in Reading model, Taylor has published widely on reading comprehension, effective reading instruction, and successful school-wide reading improvement in journals, including Reading Research Quarterly, Elementary School Journal, and The Reading Teacher. In 2010 she was awarded the Oscar Causey Award for Distinguished Contributions to Reading Research from the National Reading Conference, the latest in a long line of awards.Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor of language, literacy, and culture and faculty associate in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke received her Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Harvard University. Duke's work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Duke is the recipient of the American Educational Research Association Early Career Award, the Literacy Research Association Early Career Achievement Award, the International Reading Association Dina Feitelson Research Award, the National Council of Teachers of English Promising Researcher Award, and the International Reading Association Outstanding Dissertation Award. Nell is author and co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters as well as the books Reading and Writing Informational Text in the Primary Grades: Research-Based Practices; Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best Practices for Educators of Children from Birth to Five; Beyond Bedtime Stories: A Parent's Guide to Promoting Reading, Writing, and Other Literacy Skills From Birth to 5; and her most recent book, Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K - 8 Classrooms. She is also editor of The Research-Informed Classroom book series, co-editor with Ellin Keene of the Not This But That book series, and co-editor of the book Literacy Research Methodologies. Duke teaches preservice, inservice and doctoral courses in literacy education, speaks and consults widely on literacy education, and is an active member of several literacy-related organizations. She has served as author and consultant on a number of educational programs, including Buzz About IT, iOpeners, National Geographic Science K-2 and the DLM Express. Duke also has a strong interest in improving the quality of educational research training in the U.S. Nell is currently overseeing IRA's Literacy Research Panel blog, which you can follow here: http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/LRP