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Readers are in for a delightful time when they pick up the second edition of Beginning with Braille: Firsthand Experiences with a Balanced Approach to Literacy, by Anna M. Swenson. Since the first edition of this book was published in 1999, teachers of children with visual impairments have gravitated to it for help with beginning braille readers. This second edition is jammed with even more practical, creative teaching suggestions and is a welcome addition to the literature.
Teachers of braille readers have very few role models to imitate, unlike those who teach children to read print. Such teachers are lucky to have Ms. Swenson, whose unique ability to combine educational theory with practice has enabled her to create this thorough, easy-to-read, state-of-the-art resource for teaching reading and writing braille. She cites up-to-date research from general education reading literature and weaves it into research on teaching braille reading. This blend of information, along with her experience as a teacher of reading and writing braille, is what makes this book so valuable. Although teachers of children with visual impairments are the obvious audience of the book, it will also be a beneficial resource for parents. Preservice teachers who read this text will have a ready reference for when they are assigned their first beginning braille reader. General education teachers may also, if they desire, find numerous sections of this book that will help them understand the needs of braille readers should they have such students in their classrooms (especially chapters 5, "Promoting Early Literacy ..."; 6, "An Overview of Options for Literacy Instruction"; and 7, "Teaching the Beginning Braille Reader ..."; 15, "Adapting Print Materials," and 16, "Braille Literacy for Sighted Classmates").
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There are three parts or sections of the book. Part 1, "A Context for Instruction"; Part 2, "You and Your Braille Reader"; and Part 3, "Beyond Instruction: Braille in the Inclusion Classroom."
Part 1 contains background information that is essential for teachers of children who will be learning...