Comprehension Strategies for Your K-6 Literacy Classroom

Divonna M. Stebick, M.S. Reading, is an instructor of Reading and Language Arts methods and assessment at Gettysburg College. She also provides staff development and consultation to school districts and universities. Previously, Divonna spent a number of years in the Carroll County Public School System in Carroll County, Maryland. She served as a classroom teacher and an Integrated Language Arts Specialist / Staff Developer. Contact information is available at her web site: http://www.divonnastebick.com.

Foreword Acknowledgments Preface About the Authors Introduction 1. Reorganizing Our Thinking ~ Making Connections Activating Prior Knowledge Metacognition Developing Schema 2. Interacting With the Text ~ Questioning Guiding Students' Thinking Gradually Releasing Students Into Self-Questioning 3. Directing a Movie in Your Mind ~ Visualizing Mental Imagery Modeling for Intermediate Readers Teacher Reflections 4. Piecing the Clues Together ~ Inferring Reading Between the Lines in an Inclusion Classroom Putting Your Thoughts to Paper 5. Sifting Through and Locating the Nugget ~ Determining Importance Importance Based Upon Purpose Determining Importance During Guided Reading Revisiting Texts 6. Organizing and Recreating New Ideas ~ Synthesizing Changing Our Schema Bloom's Taxonomy 7. Conclusion ~ The You Do Phase of Making the Invisible Visible Afterword Resources a. Blank Frameworks & Instructional Resources b. Thinking Organizers c. Picture Book Reference Lists References Index

"The authors demonstrate excellent pragmatic examples for new and veteran teachers as they guide students through six stages of comprehension strategies. Definitely raises the bar for student comprehension strategies." -- Sue Morgan, Special Education Coordinator "This book provides teachers with specific instructional strategies designed to make students independent, thoughtful readers. Using these well-defined techniques will help students 'pack, repack, and reorganize' information in an efficient and meaningful way that will surely bring students to an optimal level of comprehension." -- Marcia M. Talkovich, Program Specialist "A resource unlike any I have encountered in my career. Both novice and experienced teachers will use this book to aid instruction and maximize their students' reading comprehension." -- Jonathan Hart, Third-Grade Teacher "Focused and practical. The authors present a solid instructional model based on years of research. This book provides teaching tactics to help teachers, particularly those new to the profession, imagine how comprehension strategy instruction might actually look and sound in the elementary classroom." -- From the Afterword by Ellin Keene "Invites readers on a meaningful adventure into classrooms where children actively think. Successfully brings comprehension strategy instruction to life through explicit frameworks for literacy instruction, authentic classroom examples, and high-quality instructional resources for K-6 teachers." -- From the Foreword by Debra A. Miller