The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading

Translating Research to Reignite Joy and Meaning in the Classroom

Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, Erica Woolway

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9781394305995
• eBook ISBN: 9781394306008
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

The most comprehensive and practical guide to understanding and applying the science of reading to improve literacy instruction.

After effectively teaching phonics in the early grades, what does the science of reading tell us should happen in literacy classes? The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading by Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Colleen Driggs, addresses the pressing challenges educators face in effectively incorporating the Science of Reading into their instruction once students already know how to decode. By offering actionable guidance grounded in seven evidence-based principles, this book helps teachers elevate their instructional practices and better prepare students to be lifelong readers and thinkers.

Grounded in proven classroom instruction, the book focuses on techniques that can allow teachers to use the science as effectively and actionably as possible. The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading is enhanced with more than 50 video clips from the classroom and covers ways to practically apply the Science of Reading. The book describes the often overlooked role of fluency in reading comprehension, even into the high school years; the profound importance of managing and socializing attention in an age of technology; the central role of background knowledge in understanding text; and the doubly important role of teaching vocabulary as a form of knowledge. It adds a discussion of how writing can make students better readers and how important it is that reading classes focus on reading actual books—great ones, ideally. And it closes with a discussion of close reading and the challenge of preparing students to rise to the challenge of complex text.

Inside the book:

• An innovative approach to building and reinforcing background knowledge in reading
• Over 50 video demonstrations of effective teaching techniques
• Sample lesson plans and materials for immediate classroom application

The Teach Like a Champion Guide to the Science of Reading is essential for educators, literacy coaches, and administrators who aim to foster rigorous literacy instruction in their classrooms and schools. This guide shows you how to implement techniques that ensure students find joy in reading and become better, wiser, more engaged and more motivated readers, both in their classrooms and in their lives beyond.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgments
• How to Use This Book
• Introduction: “The Science of Reading”: Shockwaves from a Podcast
• Chapter 1 The Science of Reading in Seven Key Arguments
• Chapter 2 Attending to Attention
• Chapter 3 Fluency and Ways of Reading
• Chapter 4 The Hidden Power of Background Knowledge
• Chapter 5 Vocabulary Reconsidered
• Chapter 6 Using Writing to Develop Readers
• Chapter 7 The Power of the Book
• Chapter 8 Close Reading
• Appendix A: Full Sample Lesson, Seventh Grade
• Appendix B: Full Sample Lesson, Ninth Grade
• Appendix C: Decoding Tips
• Appendix D: Reading Reconsidered Curriculum: The Giver Fluency Practice: Sample Materials
• Appendix E: Materials for Knowledge Building: Embedded Texts
• Index
• EULA