Charleston, SC, Oct. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The ability to read easily and fluently can be taken for granted. But for students struggling with dyslexia or for English language learners, finding appropriate books for learning to read can be challenging. Additionally, the pendulum of the subject of how to teach reading has swung back and forth with competing ideologies, resulting in calls for reform.
Throughout her nearly 30-year career as an elementary school reading specialist, Christie Welsby has struggled to find material that was both decodable (able to be sounded out) and engaging. “The books on the market that are decodable are often not engaging to read, with limited story structure and basic illustrations,” Welsby says. “And the books that are engaging to read are only partially decodable, containing phonics and language patterns well above an beginning reading level.” Seeking to improve the decodable book market, Welsby presents the first book in a planned series of five books that are designed to complement any systematic phonics program.
In Forward Motion Readers Book 1: Meet Us!, Welsby takes a scaffolded approach to the goal of independent reading. “A ‘reader’ is a book that is used to learn to read. In that way, my book is similar to the familiar Dick and Jane readers, but written with a clear phonics progression,” Welsby says. “The end of my (planned) fifth book will be written at approximately the end of second grade/beginning of third grade reading level.”
In addition to the goals of writing a decodable and engaging book, Welsby also wanted to make the book equitable in its illustrations and stories. “Literacy is not just an educational goal, but a social justice issue as well. It’s important to me that readers of all backgrounds and ethnicities not only see themselves in my book, but have equitable access to it. Forward Motion Readers are my contribution to literacy and justice for all,” says Welsby.
Forward Motion Readers Book 1: Meet Us! is available for purchase on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
About the Author:
For nearly 30 years, Christie Welsby has taught elementary students as an elementary school reading specialist. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.A. in Reading, Language Arts, and Literature. A life-long learner, she also obtained a C.A.S. in Educational Technology and New Literacies. She’s been trained in and taught with many reading approaches, including Reading Recovery and Orton-Gillingham. Concerned with the small amount of truly decodable books available at bookstores and libraries, Christie wrote Forward Motion Readers Book 1: Meet Us! for all readers to experience reading success. In addition to reading and writing, she enjoys music, theater, hiking and traveling with her family. Forward Motion Readers Book 1: Meet Us! is her first book.
For more information about Christie and her work, please visit her website or any of her social media platforms
Facebook: Forward Motion Teaching
Instagram: @forwardmotionteaching
Media Contact: Christie Welsby
Available for interviews: Author, Christie Welsby
- Forward Motion Readers Book 1: Meet Us!