Expanding Reading Comprehension in Grades 3-6

Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl, EdD, is Clinical Associate Professor of Reading at New York University (NYU), where she serves as Director of the Literacy Program and teaches graduate courses. In addition to teaching in public elementary school classrooms for over 25 years, she has extensive experience working with struggling readers in clinical settings. Her research focuses on reading acquisition, struggling readers, and comprehension. Dr. Stahl is the author or editor of several books, and her articles have appeared in leading journals of research and practice. She is a recipient of the Jeanne S. Chall Visiting Researcher Award from Harvard University and the Teaching Excellence Award from the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Georgia Earnest Garcia, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She served on the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth and the RAND Reading Study Group on Skillful Reading, and was Associate Editor of the American Educational Research Journal. Her work has been published in leading academic journals. Dr. Garcia was previously a bilingual/ESL/English teacher at the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college levels. Although retired, she continues to work with teachers and schools and conduct research on the literacy development, instruction, and assessment of students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

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. ELA College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading Appendix B. Curriculum Resource Materials Appendix C. New York State ELA Test Released Questions: Generic Questions for Discussions or Writing Prompts References Index

"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 Garcia 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-