Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction

TEACH YOUR STUDENTS TO READ WITH PRECISION AND INSIGHT The world we are preparing our students to succeed in is one bound together by words and phrases. Our students learn their literature, history, math, science, or art via a firm foundation of strong reading skills. When we teach students to read with precision, rigor, and insight, we are truly handing over the key to the kingdom. Of all the subjects we teach reading is first among equals. Grounded in advice from effective classrooms nationwide, enhanced with more than 40 video clips, Reading Reconsidered takes you into the trenches with actionable guidance from real-life educators and instructional champions. The authors address the anxiety-inducing world of Common Core State Standards, distilling from those standards four key ideas that help hone teaching practices both generally and in preparation for assessments. This 'Core of the Core' comprises the first half of the book and instructs educators on how to teach students to: read harder texts, 'closely read' texts rigorously and intentionally, read nonfiction more effectively, and write more effectively in direct response to texts. The second half of Reading Reconsidered reinforces these principles, coupling them with the 'fundamentals' of reading instruction—a host of techniques and subject specific tools to reconsider how teachers approach such essential topics as vocabulary, interactive reading, and student autonomy. Reading Reconsidered breaks an overly broad issue into clear, easy-to-implement approaches. Filled with practical tools, including:   44 video clips of exemplar teachers demonstrating the techniques and principles in their classrooms (note: for online access of this content, please visit my.teachlikeachampion.com) Recommended book lists Downloadable tips and templates on key topics like reading nonfiction, vocabulary instruction, and literary terms and definitions. Reading Reconsidered provides the framework necessary for teachers to ensure that students forge futures as lifelong readers.

Table of Contents:
Video Contents ix About the Authors xvii About Uncommon Schools xix Acknowledgments xxi Introduction 1 Part 1 The Core of the Core 11 1 Text Selection 13 Module 1.1:The Decline of the Canon 18 Module 1.2: Text Attributes and Leveling Systems 23 Module 1.3: The Five Plagues of the Developing Reader 29 Module 1.4: Book Choice 45 Module 1.5: Managing Selection 52 2 Close Reading 57 Module 2.1: Layered Reading 63 Module 2.2: Establish Meaning via Text-Dependent Questions 71 Module 2.3: Close Reading to Analyze Meaning 83 Module 2.4: Processing Ideas and Insights in Writing, and the Power of Clear Focus 97 Module 2.5: Close Reading Bursts 102 3 Reading Nonfiction, and the Challenge of Background Knowledge 113 Module 3.1: The Key Challenge: Background Knowledge 117 Module 3.2: Absorption Rate 120 Module 3.3: Embedding Texts to Increase Absorption Rate and Build Background Knowledge 123 Module 3.4: Other Ways to Build Background Knowledge 137 Module 3.5: Some Unique Challenges of Nonfiction 143 4 Writing for Reading 155 Module 4.1: Reading Class Cycles 161 Module 4.2: Writing Is Revising 178 Module 4.3: Art of the Sentence 186 Module 4.4: Building Stamina 195 Module 4.5: Monitoring and Assessment via the Stack Audit 200 Part 2 The Fundamentals 205 5 Approaches to Reading: Reading More, Reading Better 207 Module 5.1: Approaches to Reading 211 Module 5.2: Accountable Independent Reading (AIR) 216 Module 5.3: Control the Game 225 Module 5.4: Read-Aloud 239 6 Vocabulary Instruction: Breadth and Depth 249 Module 6.1: Explicit and Implicit Vocabulary Instruction Compared 253 Module 6.2: Explicit Vocabulary Instruction: The Daily Word Rollout to Achieve Deep Word Knowledge 256 Module 6.3: Implicit Instruction: Building Vocabulary During Reading 270 Module 6.4: Maintenance and Extension 281 7 Reading Systems 287 Module 7.1: Interactive Reading: An Overview 290 Module 7.2: Phases of Implementation: Rollout, Modeling, Prompting, Autonomy 293 Module 7.3: Interactive Reading System: How to Mark Up a Text (and What to Mark) 299 Module 7.4: Discussion Systems: Laying the Groundwork for Habits of Discussion∗ 307 Module 7.5: Discussion Systems: Beyond the Groundwork 314 8 Toward Intellectual Autonomy 323 Module 8.1: Frameworks for Interpretation 327 Module 8.2: Technical Vocabulary 338 Module 8.3: Phases of Development 342 Module 8.4: Autonomous Writing Structures 352 Module 8.5: Autonomous Discussion Structures 355 Appendix: Useful Tools 365 Index 387 How to Access the Online Contents 411 More Ways to Engage and Learn with Teach Like a Champion 415