Guided Comprehension for Primary Grades - McLaughlin

Looks like another good one for K-3. Anyone read it?

Comprehension by Owocki

This looks like a good one for K-3. Has anyone read it?

Reading with Meaning by Miller

I have heard LOTS about this book but have never read it. Anybody else?

Comprehension Shouldn't Be Silent by Kelley & Clausen-Grace - 4 stars

I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Michelle Kelley, last fall at a literacy conference. She is as friendly in person as she is in her style of writing. This book gives oodles of practical teaching tips for the comprehension strategies. She includes lots of photographs and student samples to help readers "see" what she is describing. The appendix has lots of full-sized handouts that teachers can easily copy for classroom use.

Comprehension Instruction by Block and Pressley - 4 stars

I own both the first and second editions, but have only used the first edition, although it is so good that I am sure the second edition must be of the same quality. I gave this book 4 stars not because it's not of the highest quality, but because it's a book that is strongly grounded in research, which makes it not so great for "beach" reading. However, the writing is of high quality and not too "researchy". It's my go-to-book for finding good explanations of reading instruction concepts and the research to support best practices.

The Book Whisperer - Miller, 5 stars plus

This is an awesome book! Definitely buy it! I was instantly interested by the title and the cover. I am a beach person, so the photo caught my eye. When I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I finished it in one day! Now I must add, I was recovering from surgery, so I had time. But, it's very easy to read. Donalyn Miller, is a sixth grade teacher who requires her students to read 40 books during the school year. This book is the story of her value of having students read in school, and her growth as a reader and teacher when she made this value the number one priority in her classroom. This book made me wish I was back in the classroom, reading and talking with students about books. Donalyn questions many of the aspects of reading instruction that we hold near and dear - book reports, novel studies, reading incentive plans, and computerized comprehension tests. She says the most important thing is getting students to read books of their choice, and she clearly explains how she goes about doing this. It's nice to read something based on a pure and simple idea that seems to have become lost in our education world.

Mosaic of Thought - Keene and Zimmerman - 5 stars

Mosaic of Thought is the original comprehension strategy book inspiring many teachers to give comprehension instruction the attention it's due. The cover pictured here is the second edition. If you haven't read the book, I would recommend the first edition, if you can find a used copy. Keene and Zimmerman blend personal stories about themselves as readers with information about the reading process written in a friendly, yet professional style. I first read this book in 1999, and it impacted my thinking greatly. This book sparked an interest in comprehension that has stayed with me to this day. In fact, it was from the ideas in Mosaic that I made connections to Internet reading, thus leading to much of my research and professional writing.