I acquired this book on the recommendation of one of my professors. I had heard great things about the program's effectiveness with younger readers, but was not convinced I could adapt it to suit the needs of older students with reading difficulties. However, because my students dislike worksheets as much as I do, I am constantly searching for hands-on activities that developed word attack and spelling skills. Donald Bear et al provided me with numerous games and word sorts to use with my reading classes. It has also been possible to extend the curriculum to a higher level by creating additional word sorts that focus on the specific issue of high school readers/spellers. In my opinion, this book is an essential resource for every elementary teacher, language arts teacher, reading specialist, or tutor.

I bought this book as part of my reading course for my credential, and have used ideas from this book every single day in my first grade class. As a new teacher, I have found this book to be essential to my daily plans. This book not only explains theory of different reading levels, but is full of activity ideas for varying levels. Many of these activities are easy to arrange and teach/monitor. This book has made it so easy for me to teach to students of varying reading levels

I think that one of the best features of this book are the word lists at the back. These lists are great for designing word sorts and other activities. In the second edition, there are 28 pages of word lists, from basic vowel and word family sorts to homophones and affixes. Truly, this book has something for every reading level. I also appreciate the templates for board games that are in the back of the book.

The bottom line: If you teach reading, this book is a must-have. This book isn't going to sit on your shelf and gather dust like so many do, but quickly becomes part of your daily planning.

This book was assigned as part of my Master's in Reading program. It is well-written and easy to use. Ideas are plentiful. Sections include material which may be photocopied and used in the classroom or clinic setting. It helps inform teacher instruction and provides an excellent resource that honors the synchrony of reading, writing, listening and spelling. I use it and have seen results!