Additional information
by Timothy Rasinski (Author), Melissa Cheesman Smith (Author)
Choosing appropriate words to express an idea is important to improve students' reading comprehension and writing composition skills. Vocabulary Ladders: Understanding Words Nuances provides fourth grade students with fun and engaging vocabulary activities to support word knowledge within reading and writing skills. This resource provides a framework to teach related words using a cluster approach that helps students learn many semantically related words at once. With this series, students will discuss differences between themed words, order words and explain their thinking, use words in context, and use words in writing.
Author Biography
Dr. Timothy Rasinski is a professor emeritus of literary education at Kent State University and was previously director of its award-winning reading clinic. Dr. Rasinski is the author of numerous best-selling books, articles, and curriculum programs on literacy education and has co-authored many resources for Shell Education including Building Vocabulary with Greek and Latin Roots: A Professional Guide to Word Knowledge and Vocabulary Development, Starting with Prefixes and Suffixes, Practice with Prefixes, Vocabulary Ladders: Understanding Word Nuances series, Getting to the Roots of Content-Area Vocabulary series, Idioms and Other English Expressions series, Close Reading with Paired Texts series, Rhymes for the Times: Literacy Strategies through Social Studies, Weekly Word Roots: 52 Quick Activities for Building Vocabulary, Build Reading Fluency: Practice and Performance with Reader's Theater and More, as well as Teacher Created Material's curriculum resource Building Vocabulary series.
Dr. Rasinski is a frequent, well-known presenter nationwide and was named one of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world. His major interests include reading fluency, word study, reading in the elementary and middle grades, and readers who struggle. Dr. Rasinski served on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association and was co-editor of The Reading Teacher, the world's most widely read journal of literacy education. He has also served as co-editor of the Journal of Literacy Research. Dr. Rasinski was elected to the International Reading Hall of Fame and was awarded the International Literacy Association's highest honor--the William S. Gray Citation of Merit--for his contributions to the field of literacy.
Melissa Cheesman Smith, M.Ed., holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction and has been teaching for 10 years. She teaches literacy classes for a university, presents at literacy conferences, and facilitates professional development workshops.
