Who Says I Can't?

A Four-Year Plan to Erase the Reading Gap and Achieve Proficiency by Fourth Grade (Eliminate the reading gap for marginalized children.)

Gwendolyn Battle Lavert, James A. Bellanca

• Publisher: Solution Tree Press
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781958590607
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Inclusive Education

Eliminating the reading achievement gap is essential for long-term school success. In Who Says I Can't?, the authors explain how to close the third-grade reading gap for marginalized students. They supply educators with research, strategies, structure, and support necessary to revise current practices so that all children, regardless of ethnic, racial, or socioeconomic deterrents, will read for meaning before grade 4.

K–4 educators can use this book to:

• Learn current research on the third-grade reading gap and why it matters
• Understand the importance of teaching phonics and phonemics in the early grades
• Explore how to expand vocabulary for students below target levels
• Guide students on forming meaning in cognitive and metacognitive ways
• Provide reading material with diverse characters to encourage investment and belonging

Contents:
Foreword
Introduction: A Necessary Pathway
Chapter 1: Engage With the Learning-to-Read Challenge
Chapter 2: Acknowledge That Yes, It Is About the Brain Chapter 3: Make Meaning Visible Chapter 4: Use the Reciprocal Teacher's Playbook Chapter 5: Hear It First With Phonemics and Ensure Mastery Chapter 6: Make the Phonics Connection Chapter 7: Use Patterns to Achieve Vocabulary Fluency Chapter 8: Learn to Read for Meaning Chapter 9: Prioritize Equity Epilogue: A Dream Revisited Appendix: Lesson Design Templates and Further Reading References and Resources Index

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgments
• Table of Contents
• About the Authors
• Foreword
• Introduction: A Necessary Pathway
• Chapter 1: Engage With the Learning-to-Read Challenge
• Chapter 2: Acknowledge That Yes, It Is About the Brain
• Chapter 3: Make Meaning Visible
• Chapter 4: Use the Reciprocal Teacher’s Playbook
• Chapter 5: Hear It First With Phonemics and Ensure Mastery
• Chapter 6: Make the Phonics Connection
• Chapter 7: Use Patterns to Achieve Vocabulary Fluency
• Chapter 8: Learn to Read for Meaning
• Chapter 9: Prioritize Equity
• Epilogue: A Dream Revisited
• Appendix: Lesson Design Templates and Further Reading
• References and Resources
• Index