Direct instruction reading

This guide addresses stubborn reading difficulties with carefully ordered, tightly scripted lessons covering decoding, comprehension, subject-matter reading, and study skills. Rather than simply cataloguing word-recognition techniques, it explains the DISTAR (Direct Instructional Reading) approach: when a skill should be introduced, which examples to teach, how to correct mistakes, and how the various reading skills connect.

The third edition concentrates on reading whole passages, examining how children decode and understand both narrative and informational texts. Its coverage runs from pre-reading readiness through intermediate levels, with separate treatment of fiction and nonfiction that points out where the two overlap and where they diverge. Teaching formats spell out what the teacher says and does, along with the responses to expect from students.

It is intended for educators and administrators who need up-to-date methods for teaching reading and a clear understanding of how those skills fit together.