Reading Comprehension: Strategies for Independent Learners

"For those of us calling for more serious attention to comprehension, especially in the early years of schooling, this book is most welcome. Blachowicz and Ogle have compiled an expansive array of strategies for building comprehension and situated them in an overall literacy program. Their recommendations are grounded in both what good readers do when they read and what good teachers do when they teach. They include numerous examples and artifacts from actual classrooms, as well as frames and formats for use in one's own teaching. This book could be used in field-based teacher study groups, preservice and inservice teacher education, or by individual teachers and teacher educators. After the first two chapters, which frame the book, readers can choose what they read, how, and in what order. The chapter on comprehension assessment will be especially appreciated by all!" --Nell K. Duke, EdD, Michigan State University and The Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement

"This lively, readable book presents a detailed model of comprehension that provides the basis for a systematic discussion of varied aspects of reading instruction. The authors' major goal is clear: to help teachers develop active, motivated, and skillful readers who will successfully meet the challenges of the 21st century. Detailed descriptions of research-based strategies, sample classroom materials, and vignettes about engaged readers make this an important new text for both beginning and experienced teachers." --Patricia S. Koskinen, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland

"Teaching children to comprehend text is our greatest literacy challenge. This book addresses the issues of producing constructive, strategic, and motivated readers. The many practical models and teaching illustrations interspersed throughout the book add immeasurably to its overall effectiveness." --W. Dorsey Hammond, PhD, Reading and Language Arts Department, School of Education and Human Services, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan