Introduction: Embracing science and balance -- Shift 1: rethinking how reading comprehension begins -- Clearing up some confusion -- Misunderstanding 1: reading comprehension begins with print -- Misunderstanding 2: understanding spoken language and understanding written language are two difference things -- Misunderstanding 3: If children have strong oral language, they have most of what they need to learn to read -- Misunderstanding 4: successful comprehension in beginning reading tests means that reading comprehension is on track -- A short summary of the science -- Recommendations for making the shift -- Shift 2: recommitting to phonemic awareness instruction -- Clearing up some confusion -- Misunderstanding 1: Phonemic awareness develops naturally -- Misunderstanding 2: phonemic awareness and phonics are the same thing -- Misunderstanding 3: Once children know all their letters and sounds, they will be able to read -- Misunderstanding 4: phonemic awareness is mostly a readiness or prereading skill -- Misunderstanding 5: intentional phonemic awareness instruction takes a lot of time of fancy resources -- A short summary of the science -- recommendations for making the shift -- Shift 3: reimagining the way we teach phonics -- Clearing up some confusion -- Misunderstanding 1: learning to recognize letters is just like learning to recognize any other object -- Misunderstanding 2: strengthening phonics instruction means purchasing a program -- Misunderstanding 3: phonics isn't really worth teaching because English is unpredictable and its spellings are unreliable -- Misunderstanding 4: if you have a strong scope and sequence and solid instructional routines, you have systematic instruction -- Misunderstanding 5: learning phonics is boring -- A short summary of the science -- recommendations for making the shift -- Shift 4: revising high-frequency word instruction -- Clearing up some confusion -- Misunderstanding 1: sight words are the same as high-frequency words -- Misunderstanding 2: high-frequency words can't be decoded -- Misunderstanding 3: children just need to memorize irregularly spelled high-frequency words as whole units -- Misunderstanding 4: the best way to learn high frequency-words is to practice reading, writing, and/or chanting the letters over and over -- Misunderstanding 5: if you can read a word, you know it -- A short summary of the science -- Recommendations for making the shift -- Sift 5: reinventing the ways we use MSV (3 cueing systems) -- Clearing up some confusion -- Misunderstanding 1: we need to avoid telling students to "sound it out" -- Misunderstanding 2: when they are problem solving, children should first ask "what would make sense?" -- Misunderstanding 3: Children don't need to use all of the print to read -- Misunderstanding 4: the primary reason to teach children to decode is to problem solve the word in the moment -- A short summary of the science -- Recommendations for making the shift -- Shift 6: reconsidering texts for beginning readers -- Clearing up some confusion -- Misunderstanding 1: decodable texts are loaded with problems -- Misunderstanding 2: predictable texts make learning to read easier -- Misunderstanding 3: using meaning as the go-to source of information will teach children to comprehend -- Misunderstanding 4: as long as kids are spending time with books every day they will become better readers -- A short summary of the science -- recommendations for making the shift

"The writers introduce a handful of instructional shifts offered from an invitational stance to help readers consider research beyond a one size fits all mentality and confront their own biases and misunderstandings as they explore ways Balanced Literacy practitioners can reimagine early literacy instruction by incorporating some powerful tenants from the Science of Reading"--Provided by publisher