“Richard Gentry, in this provocative book, accomplishes two goals for his readers. First, he provides them with a detailed exploration of how to work with young children learning to read and write, one-on-one or in groups. Second, he intelligently discusses a number of early literacy programs and topics, such as Reading First and Reading Recovery, phonemic awareness and invented spelling, looking at them all through a lens of strongly thought-out theory and its implications for practice. Gentry is best-known for his work on spelling, but this book explores a much broader range of early literacy practices.”
—Sandra Wilde,
Author of Spelling Strategies and Patterns:
What Kids Need to Know
“Dr. Gentry’s book Breakthrough in Beginning Reading and Writing is a welcome blessing for all primary teachers. The phase theory is a clear method of diagnosing children’s strengths and weaknesses in order to help them develop through the complex process of breaking the code of writing, spelling and reading. This is definitely a resource our teachers will utilize throughout the year in order to make the best instructional decisions for native English speakers and English Language Learners.”
—Lilia G. Náñez,
Principal,
South Elementary School, Texas
“Dr. Gentry’s phase theory gives teachers a clear and concise method of assessing where children are on the path to literacy and where they need to go. This book illustrates that reading and writing are critically inter- related and that children progress through a series of well-defined phases from non-readers and non-writers to fluent reader and writers. By assessing where children are, teachers can quickly tailor their instructional methods that correspond to each phase to help children progress to the next level. It is a must-have for teachers of beginning readers and writers.”
—Rosemarie Jensen, M.Ed.
“With literacy instruction in young children, timing is everything! In Breakthrough in Beginning Reading and Writing, Dr. Gentry has provided teachers with a simple method he calls phase theory to determine children's literacy phases. Phase theory will help teachers identify children's developmental phases and provide specific, strategic literacy instruction at the time the child needs it. This easy-to-read book and direct approach will take teachers who are knowledgeable about early literacy to the next level in their professional growth and will provide a firm foundation for young readers and writers.”
—Kim McAbee,
Principal, Woodruff Primary School,
South Carolina
“Richard Gentry is absolutely on target in his latest book, Breakthrough in Beginning Reading and Writing! As a Reading Recovery trained teacher currently teaching Kindergarten, I approach reading through writing. Since young children enter school with a lot to say, they begin to learn that if you think it, you can say it, then write it down and read it! This natural approach is well defined and articulated in Gentry's phase theory. Teaching in a large urban district, there exists a sense of urgency. I wholeheartedly agree that we can not wait until first grade to intervene, especially if we want to close the achievement gap. Phase theory provides a clear road map for teachers to follow in concert with district curriculum and state standards to ensure good first teaching for all children. Dr. Gentry is providing an invaluable resource to teachers of beginning reading and writing in the twenty first century.”
—Paula Paulos,
Kindergarten Teacher, Dallas, Texas
(Teacher of the Year in Dallas)