“A particular strength of this well-organized book is the inclusion of materials for both whole-class and individual lessons. This makes it an ideal resource for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other special service providers working with general education teachers to provide early literacy instruction and intervention for typically developing children as well as those with language and literacy learning risks. Ideally, the shared use of this book will give teachers, graduate students, and SLPs a common way of talking about language and its sounds that they can embed in other reading and writing instruction within the general education curriculum.”

—Nickola Wolf Nelson, PhD, CCC-SLP, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Western Michigan University


“The National Reading Panel, of which I am a member, strongly recommends phonemic awareness training as part of early instruction in reading. A Sound Start contains many excellent and useful ideas for those who want to start students on the road to high achievement in reading. This text should be of great value to teachers, teacher educators, and others concerned with the science of sound reading instruction.”

—S. Jay Samuels, EdD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus


“Finally, completely scripted classroom lessons for helping children develop the phonemic awareness skills essential for successful reading acquisition! Empirically based and field-tested for effectiveness and usability, the lessons include step-by-step directions and all materials necessary for implementation, including pre- and posttests and reproducible student forms. Unique to this book is the provision of three types of lessons: whole-class/small-group phonemic awareness skills lessons, individualized lessons for children needing extra assistance, and whole-class lessons focusing on the acoustic features and production of phonemes to reinforce learning. Teachers, tutors, and reading specialists alike will find this book a wonderful resource.”

—Natalie Rathvon, PhD, Early Reading Initiative project director, Archdiocese of Washington Schools, Washington, DC


“Many want to develop phonemic awareness competencies in children but do not know where to start. This book provides systematic and sound guidance to teachers of beginning readers. The lessons it contains also provide a great start on phonics, developing deep understanding of letter-sound associations and phonemic blending as part of word recognition and production.”

—Michael Pressley, PhD, Michigan State University