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.

In a Reading State of Mind by Fisher, Frey, Lapp - 5 stars

This is a great book for emphasizing the important aspect of modeling through thinking aloud.
The authors really get into the nitty-gritty of the reading process including information on how the brain works when we read and what teachers can do in their teaching to meet the needs of the brain. They also emphasize the importance of visual display of text and how this can influence the way the brain processes information. The book as an accompanying CD which models for teachers the kinds of modeling they can do with their students. The book is small and relatively short (100 pages) and is a quick and interesting read for those who want to add depth to their understanding of the reading process.

Lessons from Reading Apprenticeship by Fielding, Schoenbach, & Jordan

If you teach middle or secondary reading or content areas, this book is right up your alley. The Reading Apprenticeship model provides specifics for engaging adolescents with reading. I have to say that if you are interested, I would recommend the original work that describes the model instead of this book. That work is called Reading for Understanding by the same authors. There is also a companion anthology with texts that can be used with the students that match with the teaching activities suggested in the book.

Teaching Strategic Processes in Reading

I have this book but haven't read it yet. Feel free to add comments.

You Gotta Be the Book by Jeffrey Wilhelm, 3 stars

I had high hopes for this book because I had heard good things, and I have to say it's a good book. But I think the first edition might have been better. Timing is everything, and the first edition, written just over 10 years ago came out at a time when there weren't many teacher resources at the secondary level about a teacher's journey with teaching reading. Jeffery Wilhelm writes about his experiences in the classroom as he grows from a novice to an experienced teacher. One trouble is that in this second edition, it has been several years since he has been a teacher in the classroom, so he is using dated examples. On the plus side, he has added perspectives as a parent of adolescents and as a college professor. These are interesting, but I think they take away from the focus of the book. I have to admit I didn't read the whole thing. However, I did make it to page 70 without really knowing what Be the Book actually means or how or why to have students do this.

To Understand by Ellin Keene - 5 stars

This book will really make you think! Ellin Keene, the author of Mosaic of Thought, takes the reader through the thought processes she has used to reach her current level of understanding about comprehension instruction. She questions some of the concepts that came out of Mosaic and takes other concepts farther. The analogies she uses throughout the book are connected to art and travel. Keene's emphasis is on the purpose of comprehension - to understand. We teach strategies so that students can use them to aid in understanding text. She gets right to heart of comprehension by peeling away the layers that seem to get in the way or cause us to lose our focus.

Reader's Connections

Notebook Connections by Aimee Buckner - 4 stars

I purchased this book hoping it would give me some ideas to use with my undergraduates and the journaling they do in Language Arts Methods. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is a powerful description of the connections between reading and writing. After reading it, I have found myself noticing more when I read about the way the author uses words and phrases and organizes ideas. The book reminded me that to be a good writer, you must read a lot. Also, the author has built a connection between the comprehension strategies and how being aware of these strategies as a writer can help you write with a constant awareness of the needs of the audience. Throughout the book are various strategy activities that are seemlessly blended into the rest of the text so that teachers can easily see how their instruction can guide children to thinking like a reader and a writer.