ParaReading, a Five-Course Series for Paraprofessionals

Deb Glaser: Hi, I'm Dr. Deb Glaser, the author of "ParaReading," and I've collaborated with Reading Universe to produce these five courses about teaching young children to read.

teacher: Good morning boys and girls.

Deb Glaser: How do we know what to do or where to begin? When we teach reading?

teacher and students: 'A', 'e', 'i', 'o'...

Deb Glaser: If we're not trained in the knowledge and practice of how to teach, we tend to fall back on what we know best — how we learned to read, or how our own children learned to read. That approach leaves way too much to chance, and that's a risk that we can't afford to take with our students.

teacher and students: 'A' says /ă/.

Deb Glaser: Earlier in my career as a classroom teacher, I had the chance to work closely with some exceptionally dedicated paraprofessionals. Those educators, like you, cared deeply about the work they were doing, and they wanted to see their students succeed.

teacher: Let's look at the parts of this word.

Deb Glaser: I would share with them the most important principles about teaching children to read, and then I would model how to teach the skill using the classroom practices that have proven to be most effective.

teacher: Hi five. Nice job.

Deb Glaser: After experiencing the rewards of teaching, many of these outstanding paraprofessionals would go back to school to get their own teaching certificates. Eventually, I wrote an entire book about this process called "ParaReading." My goal was to gather in one place the most important things I've learned about giving paraprofessionals a chance to develop their skills and to work successfully with classroom teachers.

teacher: They act as a team.

Deb Glaser: Now, I've joined forces with Reading Universe to produce this series of online parareading courses. Our series includes five separate but closely linked courses covering phone awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Each course will give you a chance to develop your skills, to practice what you're learning, and to see for yourself what effective teaching looks like by watching the in-classroom videos that we've included.

teacher: Everybody say pizza.

students: Pizza.

teacher: What sound is that 'a' making?

students: /ŭ/

teacher: /ŭ/. Excellent.

Deb Glaser: As you work your way through the series, please think about the students you work with, and please keep an eye out for the methods and strategies that will help you help your students. I'm eager for you to get started on this journey and to experience as I do the joys of teaching, the excitement when a child reads for the first time, and the confidence that an older reader gains when reading becomes easier. I know you can do it.