Finding the Magic

Dr. Melinda Miller is a Professor at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas in the School of Teaching and Learning, where she has been on the faculty since 2001. She teaches literacy at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.Melinda’s public school teaching experience includes 7 years of teaching as a Kindergarten, first, and second grade teacher, and 4 years of teaching as a Reading Recovery teacher and Reading Specialist. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten Endorsement. She graduated from Sam Houston State University with her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Reading, and she received her PhD from Texas A&M University in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Reading.In addition to Finding the Magic, Melinda co-authored Reading and Writing with English Learners: A Framework for K-5 with Valentia Gonzalez. She has been an educational consultant with Seidlitz Education since 2015, and she has published over 50 articles about literacy education and has presented world-wide. Melinda lives in Huntsville with her husband, Marsh, and 3 dogs and 2 cats.

• Chapter 1 Literacy Learning Theories and StagesConstructivismPiagetVygotskyTransactional TheoryBanduraLiteracy StagesSpelling StagesBalanced Literacy ApproachChapter 2 Learning to ReadThe BeginningsCueing SystemsScaffoldingRead-AloudShared ReadingGuided ReadingReading StrategiesIndependent ReadingChapter 3 Learning to WriteThe BeginningsWrite-AloudShared WritingIndependent WritingChapter 4 Reading and Writing in the ClassroomPhonicsWord WorkHearing and Recording Sounds in WordsMaking and Breaking WordsAnalogiesChunksMy Pile/Your PileVocabularyFluencyComprehensionLiteracy CentersChapter 5 Reading WorkshopReading Mini-LessonsIndependent Reading TimeResponding to TextConferencesSharing TimeFinding the Right BookChapter 6 Writing WorkshopWriting Mini-LessonsStatus of the ClassIndependent Writing TimeWriter’s CraftWriting ConferencesSharing WritingChapter 7 Literature for Young ReadersThe Importance of ChoicePredictable BooksBig BooksAlphabet BooksWord Play BooksConcept BooksWordless Picture BooksMulticultural BooksCritical LiteracyAcquiring BooksMotivating ReadersChapter 8 The Multicultural ClassroomIncluding all CulturesEnglish LearnersAccepting Home LanguagesIncluding FamiliesChapter 9 Assessing Reading and WritingOngoing Informal AssessmentInformal Reading InventoryRunning RecordsSpelling InventoriesObservations and Anecdotal RecordsRubricsReading and Writing ConferencesWork SamplesPortfoliosSelf-AssessmentParent ConferencesHigh-Stakes TestsChapter 10 Loving SchoolCreating a CommunityFocusing on the PositiveUsing Music in the ClassroomCombining Art and LiteratureSlowing DownFinding Magic in the ClassroomMy Pile/Your PileElkonin Boxes Practice Phonics Test Practice Phonics Test Answer Key About the Author