Expanding Reading Comprehension in Grades 3-6: Effective Instruction for All Students

by Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl EdD, Georgia Earnest García

Overview

Students in grades 3–6 need to use increasingly sophisticated comprehension skills and strategies as they read and build knowledge across disciplinary content areas. Grounded in research, this book presents effective practices for integrating literacy instruction with literature, science, and social studies. Chapters address text selection, vocabulary development, strategy instruction, discussion formats, writing to express and expand comprehension, assessment, and more. Ways to meet the needs of emergent bilingual and culturally diverse students are highlighted throughout. Ideal for preservice and inservice teachers and professional staff development, the book includes classroom vignettes, text boxes with easy-to-read instructional procedures, and curriculum resources. Helpful reproducible forms can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

See also the authors' related book on the primary grades: Developing Reading Comprehension: Effective Instruction for All Students in PreK-2.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462549382
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	02/21/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	210
Sales rank:	726,639
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl, EdD, is a literacy consultant and author who focuses on translating literacy research into practice. Formerly, she was Clinical Professor of Literacy at New York University (NYU), where she taught graduate courses and served as Director of both the Literacy Program and the NYU Literacy Clinic. Before entering academia, Dr. Stahl taught in public elementary and middle school classrooms for over 25 years. She is the coauthor or coeditor of several books, and her articles have appeared in the leading journals of research and practice. Dr. Stahl specializes in reading acquisition, comprehension instruction, reading intervention, and literacy assessment. Currently, she partners with educators as a consultant to support their efforts to improve reading achievement, especially for students with reading difficulties.

Georgia Earnest García, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana/n-/Champaign. She served on the RAND Reading Study Group on Skillful Reading and the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Dr. García is coauthor or coeditor of several books and has published in leading academic and practitioner journals. Before acquiring her PhD, she was a bilingual/ESL/EFL and English language arts teacher at the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college levels. Although retired, she continues to collaborate with teachers and schools and conduct research on the literacy development, instruction, and assessment of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, with a specific focus on bilingual students. Dr. García was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2019.

Table of Contents

1. Unifying Theory, Research, and Practice
2. Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students from Diverse Backgrounds
3. Integrating Comprehension, Thinking, and Knowledge Building
4. Selecting and Working with Texts and Digital Resources
5. Vocabulary Development That Supports Comprehension
6. Strategy Instruction for Narrative and Expository Texts
7. Dialogic Learning: The Power of Discussion, Argument, and Debate
8. Disciplinary Writing Instruction
9. How to Assess Intermediate Students’ Reading Comprehension
Appendix A. English Language Arts College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading (NGA & CCSSO, 2010)
Appendix B. Curriculum Resource Materials
Appendix C. NYS ELA Test Released Questions: Generic Questions for Discussions or Writing Prompts
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"What a wonderful resource for preservice and practicing classroom teachers! Each chapter addresses essential aspects of reading instruction, based on the best possible evidence about how students build comprehension and the instructional practices that support them on the journey. Stahl and García offer practical guidance related to challenging issues, such as how to select texts for intermediate-grade students, prepare them for reading in different disciplines, and organize discussions that deepen students’ thinking about text. The book is filled with helpful resources, templates, and examples. Importantly, the authors foreground the linguistic and cultural diversity of contemporary classrooms, offering a multitude of strategies for planning instruction that meets the needs of all students."—Gina N. Cervetti, PhD, School of Education, University of Michigan

"Content literacy, disciplinary literacy, real-world applications of how to teach students in the middle grades—this book has it all! Decades of research and theory are translated into practical classroom strategies. School leaders and classroom teachers in English language arts, science, and social studies can use this book to guide their planning for integrated curriculum design, resulting in unit and lesson plans that serve all students. Tips for how to best serve English learners are given throughout the chapters. The strategies presented are program-agnostic, yet ensure that high-quality instruction permeates middle-grade classrooms."—Caitlin McMunn Dooley, PhD, State Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Georgia

"The book demonstrates the passion and expertise of the authors, who are committed to integrating the content areas and literacy for all students, including multilingual learners. Educators are guided to use literacy strategies to simultaneously develop content knowledge and comprehension, and to adapt instruction based on students’ English language proficiency. Classroom vignettes and examples make the theories and research come to life. The book is user friendly, as the authors share a treasure trove of ideas and resources for classroom instruction."—Okhee Lee, PhD, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University

From the Publisher