Books by J.Richard Gentry
The following titles represent the latest works by best-selling author, J. Richard
Gentry. A former elementary teacher and university professor, Gentry has lectured and
conducted workshops on literacy and spelling throughout the world.
Coming Soon in 2010, A new book by J. Richard Gentry from Da Capo Lifelong:
Raising Confident Readers
How to teach your child to Read and Write, from Baby to Age 7
"We all know the importance of reading aloud to our children, but beyond that, how do
kids really learn to read? Why should you jump-start the process before formal
instruction in school begins? How do drawing and early writing fit into the
literacy picture, and what can you do to encourage them? How can you recognize
and intervene if your child's literacy skills are not developing normally?
In this empowering guide, Dr. J. Richard Gentry describes how to teach reading
before your child enters kindergarten and how to monitor progress once your
child is in school. He offers parents an easy-to-understand program outlining
the five phases of kids' literacy development, with age- and stage-appropriate
activities that make reading and writing fun. Raising Confident Readers
is essential reading for every parent who wants their child to succeed in school
and be a lifelong learner."
Paperback, 256 pages, ISBN: 0738213977, Available July 2010
$13.95
Step-by-Step Assessment Guide to Code Breaking: Pinpoint
Young Students' Reading Development and Provide Just-Right Instruction
"A classroom-based, child-centered assessment for tracking step-by-step progress in
reading, writing, and spelling with reproducible assessment forms. Drawing on major
new insights in brain research, Gentry shows how reading and writing develop in five
phases—children progress from no knowledge of the alphabet to an understanding of
phonics chunks—providing a blueprint for instruction. Once you understand a child's
phase of development, you know exactly what kind of instruction they need to move
forward. The assessment guide and DVD show you how to easily identify a child's
phase of development, set reasonable expectations for growth, and select from the
instructional techniques Gentry provides to best help every student become a successful
reader and writer."
--Scholastic.com
Paperback, 64 pages, includes a DVD (57 minutes)
$24.99 :
Buy from Scholastic.com
Breakthrough in Beginning Reading and Writing: The
Evidence-Based Approach to Pinpointing Students' Needs and Delivering Targeted Instruction
"Drawing on major new insights in brain research, Gentry shows how reading and writing
develop in five phases—from operations with no letter knowledge to understanding of
phonics chunks—that provide the blueprint for instructional approaches. The book
enables teachers to identify a child's phase of development, set reasonable expectations
for growth, and select the methods that will move each child forward."
--Scholastic.com
Paperback, 128 pages, includes a DVD (57 minutes)
$24.99 :
Buy from Scholastic.com
Assessing Early Literacy with Richard Gentry:
Five Phases, One Simple Test
"Richard Gentry understands what every teacher knows about early literacy
assessment: that to be useful, an assessment instrument must reveal more than
how well a student is reading or writing—it’s got to show what instructional direction
the results indicate. Literacy develops in five recognizable phases, progressing
predictably from one stage to the next, but many assessment systems aren’t
sensitive enough to recognize which phase a child has reached, nor sophisticated
enough to offer ideas on how to move ahead. So Gentry created a kit to
demonstrate an efficient, easy, and accurate way to see students’ literacy
development with new eyes and unrivaled clarity. His method works, and the
information it gives you will support a differentiated vision of every student’s
progress toward literacy.
The Monster Test is a "thumbprint" test that can help you accurately identify a child’s
level of early literacy development in reading, writing, and spelling."
Paperback, 80 pages, includes a DVD (February 2007)
$38.75 :
Buy from Amazon.com
Breaking the Code
"In his most important book to date, Gentry combines cutting-edge, brain-based research
with sound classroom knowledge to explore early literacy development. Starting with the
crucial interrelationship of reading and writing, he looks inside and out at the minds of
emerging readers to find out how they construct the idea and process of reading. Then he
presents a blueprint for instruction and early intervention that combines his new findings
with best-practice teaching. His comprehensive instructional model focuses on building the
specific skills, capacities, and experiences kids need by teaching them to write as they
learn to read. Gentry gives you everything you need to implement successful beginning reading
strategies as well as a variety of effective tips for supporting readers and writers
throughout the primary grades."
--Heinemann.com
Paperback, 208 pages (January 2006)
$22.00 :
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The Science of Spelling
"Once again, Richard Gentry revolutionizes how you think about spelling instruction. The Science
of Spelling breaks down preconceptions and misconceptions about how kids learn to spell, making
startling new connections between orthography and literacy. Think that reading builds strong
spellers? Through up-to-the-moment research, Gentry reveals that the opposite is true, that
children use early spelling cognition to break the reading code. In fact, you'll discover that
spelling is no longer a sidebar of writing and revision instruction, but a crucial strategy for
teaching every aspect of literacy to all readers and writers."
--Heinemann.com
Paperback, 176 pages (September 2004)
$18.50 :
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The Literacy Map (4-6)
How many books should your students read during their fourth-grade year? What
should fifth-grade writing look like and how should it differ from fourth-grade or sixth
grade writing? Is there one best way to teach spelling.
The Literacy Map: Guiding Children to Where They Need to Be (4-6) answers each of
these questions and more in this clear, practical research-based synthesis of the best
teaching practices in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D. offers
efficient measures to assure that your students' literacy journeys to the next grade
are successful.
Paperback, 204 pages (April 2002)
$21.95 :
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The Literacy Map (K-3)
What if you only had to ask 37 or fewer questions to establish a map --a literacy map--
to accurately assess your students' literacy competencies? What if these questions could
be answered quickly and easily by both looking at your students' writings and observing
students in classroom activity? The criteria for balanced literacy development for grades
K-3 are mapped out in this guide for teachers. It includes end-of-year benchmarks for
students in kindergarten through the third grade, and provides accessible and practical
measures to assure that students are ready for success at the next grade level.
"Richard Gentry's Literacy Map is a concise guide for the teaching of reading and
writing in the primary classroom. He has included many excellent literacy assessments followed
by clear examples of what to do with the results of these assessments. All his recommended
teaching practices are easy to implement, require few "extra" materials, and are not
program-specific. The book is divided by grade level, making it easy to locate what is
appropriate for the reader's grade level. Gentry makes a clear case for the reciprocity of
reading and writing, as well as acknowledging the importance of using assessment to guide
instruction."
--Amazon.com
Paperback, 174 pages (August 1999)
$14.27 :
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My Kid Can't Spell
"My Kid Can't Spell is a readable and accessible handbook for parents who want to
play a more active role in their children's reading, writing, and spelling development.
Spelling, after all, impacts virtually every aspect of reading and writing, and it is
the key to unlocking literacy. But helping your child with spelling can be confusing.
When is the right time to correct misspelled words? How can you help your child move to
the next level of development? What are the important underlying concepts to reinforce?"
--Heinemann.com
"There are plenty of books on spelling instruction for teachers, but what about parents who
want to play a more active role in their children's education? In this book Richard Gentry
offers timely and practical guidance that every parent can use."
--Amazon.com
Paperback, 100 pages (December 1996)
$9.72 :
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Spel... is a Four-Letter Word
In his first book, Richard Gentry shares his personal story of how he became interested
in finding out how people learn to spell. Using personal experiences with some of his
students, Gentry examines common myths about spelling. Spel... is a Four-Letter Word
laid the foundation of the Gentry theory on spelling, writing, and reading. He concludes
that spelling need not be "offensive to children", but can and should be a fun learning
experience.
"Often spelling is taught in a way offensive to children, which creates a set of false
dichotomies that prejudice them against spelling. Spel... Is a Four-Letter Word
is devoted to helping teachers and parents to teach spelling as part of the
reading-writing process."
--Heinemann.com
"When you have an hour, why not read this book? It's well written and interesting and
certainly has an important message for primary teachers."
--Amazon.com
Paperback, 56 pages (December 1987)
$13.00 :
Buy from Amazon.com
