About our authors Marcia Invernizzi is the Henderson Professor Emerita of Reading Education at the University of Virginia. She is the primary author of Virginia's state-wide literacy assessment program, Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS). She is a founder of Book Buddies, a nationally recognised reading tutorial for struggling readers. Marcia's research interests continue to revolve around evidence-based practices for the prevention of reading and writing difficulties. Marcia has authored and co-authored numerous books and articles about the role of developmental word knowledge in reading achievement and reading disabilities. The University of Virginia named Dr Invernizzi the Edlich-Henderson Innovator of the Year in recognition of her work to improve children's literacy, and she has received many other awards for her teaching and service. Francine Johnston is a former first-grade teacher and school reading specialist who earned her doctorate at the University of Virginia. She is retired from the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she coordinated the reading master's program and directed a reading clinic for struggling readers.

Donald R. Bear is Professor Emeritus in Literacy Studies at Iowa State University and the University of Nevada, Reno, where he directed reading centres and taught at all levels. He is a former classroom teacher and an author and co-author of numerous articles, chapters and 17 books, including Words Study. He is involved in innovative professional development activities, and his work in assessment and word study is used widely. Donald is involved in studies that examine literacy learning, particularly studies of orthographic development in different and second languages. He has received several awards for teaching and service and was recently a board member of the International Literacy Association. Shane Templeton is Foundation Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. A former classroom teacher at the primary and secondary levels, his research focuses on the development of orthographic and vocabulary knowledge.

He has written several books on the teaching and learning of reading and language arts and is a member of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. Francine, Donald, Marcia and Shane are the core authors of the Word Study series.