Selecting Texts for Beginning Reading Instruction

Elfrieda H. Hiebert, University of Michigan

Hiebert, Elfrieda H. (1997). Selecting texts for beginning reading instruction, In T. E. Raphael & K. H. Au (Eds.), Literature-based instruction: present issues, future directions (pp. 195–218). Newton, MA: Christopher-Gordon.

No Abstract Available

Contents

Introduction

Perspectives of Text Scaffolds for Beginning Readers

High-Frequency and Phonetically Regular Words as a Basis for Text Selection and Creation

Literary Quality as the Basis for Text Selection

A Framework for Text Selection

Amounts of Texts in Early Literacy Programs

The Structure of the Whole Text

Table 1: Critical Features in Texts for Beginning Readers

The Nature of Words within a Text

Guidelines for Selecting Texts

Instructional texts need to be chosen to highlight features that promote particular processes for particular beginning readers.

Features of a text that may distract beginning readers from attending to and applying key skills and strategies need to be considered in selecting texts for instruction.

The scaffolds of illustrations and predictable syntax should be varied, even at the earliest stages of reading acquisition.

It takes children who have had few prior book experiences numerous experiences with texts to focus on critical features and to remember them.

References

Children's Books