Much has been written on the topic of guided reading over the last twenty years, but no other leaders in literacy education have championed the topic with such depth and breadth as Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. In the highly anticipated second edition of Guided Reading, Fountas and Pinnell remind you of guided reading's critical value within a comprehensive literacy system, and the reflective, responsive teaching required to realize its full potential. Now with Guided Reading, Second Edition, (re)discover the essential elements of guided reading through: a wider and more comprehensive look at its place within a coherent literacy system a refined and deeper understanding of its complexity an examination of the steps in implementation-from observing and assessing literacy behaviors, to grouping in a thoughtful and dynamic way, to analyzing texts, to teaching the lesson the teaching for systems of strategic actions a rich text base that can support and extend student learning the re-emerging role of shared reading as a way to lead guided and independent reading forward the development of managed independent learning across the grades an in-depth exploration of responsive teaching the role of facilitative language in supporting change over time in students' processing systems the identification of high-priority shifts in learning to focus on at each text level the creation of a learning environment within which literacy and language can flourish. Through guided reading, students learn how to engage in every facet of the reading process and apply their reading power to all literacy contexts. Also check out our new on-demand mini-course: Introducing Texts Effectively in Guided Reading Lessons

This book is the richest, most comprehensive guided reading resource available today and the first systematic offering of instructional support for guided reading adherents.

Is there too much emphasis on guided reading in primary classrooms? It's a question that many educators, like kindergarten teacher and literacy coach Cathy Mere, are starting to ask. Guided reading provides opportunities to teach students the strategies they need to learn how to read increasingly challenging texts, but Cathy found that she needed to find other ways to help students gain independence. While maintaining guided reading as an important piece of their reading program, teachers need to offer students opportunities during the day to develop as readers, to learn to choose books, to find favorite genres and authors, and to talk about their reading. In More Than Guided Reading, Cathy shares her journey as she moved from focusing on guided reading as the center of her reading program to placing children at the heart of literacy learning--not only providing more time for students to discover their reading lives, but also shaping instruction to meet the needs of the diverse learners in her classroom. By changing the structure of the day, Cathy found she was better able to adjust the support she was providing students, allowing time for whole-class focus lessons, conferences, and opportunities to share ideas, as well as reading from self-selected texts using the strategies, skills, and understandings acquired in reader's workshop. The focus lesson is the centerpiece of the workshop. It is often tied to a read-aloud and connected to learning from the previous day, helping to build skills, extend thinking, and develop independence over time. This thoroughly practical text offers numerous sample lessons, questions for conferences, and ideas for revamping guided reading groups. It will help teachers tweak the mix of instructional components in their reading workshops, and provoke school-wide conversations about the place of guided reading in a complete literacy curriculum.

(M) Meg was on her bicycle for a quick ride. Her dog, Lucky, didn't want to stay behind and ran in front of Meg's bike. Down Meg went, causing her to end up with a cast on her arm for the next six weeks. Meg and her parents were leaving for a summer vacation in three days. She looked forward to time in the water. What will she do now? Read all about what Meg's dad does to help Meg enjoy her vacation.

"Engages students in inquiry that leads to the discovery and understanding of a general principle they can apply to their own independent reading" --

For ten years and in two classic books, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell have described how to analyze the characteristics of texts and select just-right books to use for guided reading instruction. Now, for the first time, all of their thinking and research has been updated and brought together into Leveled Books, K-8 to form the ultimate guide to choosing and using books from kindergarten through middle school. Fountas and Pinnell take you through every aspect of leveled books, describing how to select and use them for different purposes in your literacy program and offering prototype descriptions of fiction and nonfiction books at each level. They share advice on: the role of leveled books in reading instruction, analyzing the characteristics of fiction and nonfiction texts, using benchmark books to assess instructional levels for guided reading, selecting books for both guided and independent reading, organizing high-quality classroom libraries, acquiring books and writing proposals to fund classroom-library purchases, creating a school book room. In addition, Fountas and Pinnell explain the leveling process in detail so that you can tentatively level any appropriate book that you want to use in your instruction. Best of all, Leveled Books, K-8 is one half of a new duo of resources that will change how you look at leveled books. Its companion-www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com-is a searchable and frequently updated website that includes more than 18,000 titles. With Leveled Books, K-8 you'll know how and why to choose books for your readers, and with www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com, you'll have the ideal tool at your fingertips for finding appropriate books for guided reading. Book jacket.

Fountas and Pinnell support teachers on the next leg of the literacy journey, addressing the unique challenges of teaching upper elementary students.