Word Callers: Small-Group and One-To-One Interventions for Children Who Read but Don't Comprehend Book

Fast, effective, research-based interventions for struggling readers

Have you ever zoned out during reading-pronounced the words, without processing their meaning? This is how "word callers" experience all reading, In fact, strong decoders with limited comprehension account for nearly a third of all struggling readers. Now there's powerful new hope for them in Word Callers.

"Word callers are so focused on letters and decoding that their minds don't knit together the meaning of the words they are reading. The diverse interventions in this book all address this inflexibility, helping these children become better able to process meaning alongside letter-sound information."

-Kelly Cartwright

A centerpiece of Word Callers is an assessment and intervention developed by Kelly Cartwright that uses word and picture cards to measure and support readers' sound-meaning flexibility-an ideal resource for Tier 2 and Tier 3 RTI instruction. Kelly's research shows that your word callers can "unglue" from print and improve their comprehension in as few as 5 lessons.

With Word Callers you'll help students in individual or small-group settings begin to make meaning and then build on their newfound skill:

Assessments based on included word cards help identify inflexible readers.

A straightforward, needs-driven research-tested intervention using the cards turns readers around fast.

Engaging lessons with wordplay, word and picture cards, comprehension strategies, and more support the transition from word callers into full-time meaning makers.

It's not often we have such a storybook scenario for our at-risk learners, but when you try Kelly Cartwright's suggestions with your students, when you see children transform from "just reading words" to understanding text and enjoying reading, you'll see how much hope there is for your Word Callers.