300 Reading Strategies!!

300 reading strategies!  Yep, you read that correctly!  

A very exciting package arrived on my doorstep today!  After listening to my dog bark uncontrollably at the UPS man, I grabbed the package and quickly opened it! I like love it when I order a book off of Amazon and it arrives the next day!  

I have only had it for a few hours, BUT I had to quickly write up a post about my new purchase.  The book is called The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers by Jennifer Serravallo.

The Reading Strategies Book consists of 13 chapters, 1 goal for each chapter that most commonly matches readers in grades K-8.  

Goal 1:  Supporting Pre-Emegent and Emergent Readers

Goal 2:  Teaching Reading Engagement: Focus, Stamina, and Building a Reading Life

Goal 3:  Supporting Print Work:  Increasing Accuracy and Integrating Sources of Information

Goal 4:  Teaching Fluency:  Reading with Phrasing, Intonation, and Automaticy

Goal 5:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction:  Understanding Plot and Setting

Goal 6:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction:  Thinking About Characters

Goal 7:  Supporting Comprehension in Fiction:  Understanding Themes and Ideas

Goal 8:  Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction:  Determining Main Topics and Ideas

Goal 9:  Support Comprehension in Nonfiction:  Determining Key Details

Goal 10:  Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction:  Getting the Most From Text Features

Goal 11:  Improving Comprehension in Fiction and Nonfiction:  Understanding Vocabulary and Figurative Language

Goal 12:  Supporting Students' Conversations:  Speaking, Listening and Deepening Comprehension

Goal 13:  Improving Writing About Reading

Jennifer Serravallo organized the book by goals because goals coupled with teacher feedback make one of the biggest differences on students achievement and progress (research of John Hattie, 2009). For each chapter (each chapter is 1 specific goal), she did a great job of giving an overview of what the goal is, for whom the goal is most appropriate, and how to assess with that goal in mind.  Once you decide on a goal, that chapter is filled with strategies.  FILLED!  Each strategy has a step-by-step and how-to description, teaching tips, the Fountas and Pinnell Text Level Gradient, genre, and skills that often work best with the strategy.  Plus, she provided prompts that can be used when providing scaffolds for children during the practice of the strategy and when offering feedback.  Lesson language is included in some of the lessons to show how to explain or demonstrate a strategy to an individual, small group, or whole class.  Lastly, visuals are included for all lessons.  The visuals include anchor charts, a tool such as a personalized strategy card or bookmark, student writing, or even photographs of students in actions with the strategy.  

I first heard about this book from Literacy Loving Gals.  Starting August 3rd, the #ReadingStrategiesCrew will be hosting a book study.  There are 13 bloggers in the #ReadingStrategiesCrew.  One blogger for each goal.  Posts will be every Monday and Wednesday until September 14th.  I am super excited to follow the book study while learning about some strategies that support these 13 crucial goals.  

Do want to hear more?!?  Well, I promise to come back and write more about this book.  I've only had this book in my hand for a few hours, so I need to dive in before passing along any more information.  

Has anyone else read this book?  Here is a brief walk-through of the book, hosted by Jennifer Serravallo!