Five Books for Reading and Vocabulary Instruction

Education World has gathered these resources to help you teach reading, grammar and language arts. A new book book might just be what you need to take your classes to the next level. The following books were published in 2014.

Readers Writing: Strategy Lessons for Responding to Narrative and Informational Text by Elizabeth Hale:

In this book, Amazon says: "Elizabeth Hale offers ninety-one practical lessons that show teachers how students of all ability levels can use readers’ notebooks to think critically, on their own, one step at a time. Each of the lessons uses a fiction or nonfiction book to address a comprehension strategy—questioning, connecting, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, visualizing, or monitoring—by showing students one specific way they can write about their thinking. Each lesson also provides an example of how to model the strategy. All of the lessons follow a similar format with five components—Name It, Why Do It?, Model It, Try It, and Share It—and include time for students to actively process what they learn by talking about and trying out the strategy in their readers’ notebooks."

Reading Wellness: Lessons in Independence and Proficiency by Jan Miller Burkins and Kim Yaris:

In Reading Wellness, Stenhouse Publishers says: "When teachers talk about what they want for students, "a love for reading" is inevitably near the top of the list. Even as they work to ensure students' continuing progress as readers, what ignites passion more than anything is the chance to instill confidence, curiosity, and joy in students."

Grammar Matters: Lessons, Tips and  Conversations Using Mentor Texts, K-6 by Lynne Dorfman and Diane Dougherty:

According to Stenhouse Publishers, "If you are a teacher of grades K-6, you may be asking, 'Should I teach grammar in my classroom on a daily basis? How would I go about doing this? And how can I teach grammar so it isn't boring to my kids?' In Grammar Matters, Lynne Dorfman and Diane Dougherty answer these questions and more. Using mentor texts as the cornerstone for how best to teach grammar, this book provides teachers with almost everything they need to get kids not only engaged but excited about learning grammar."

Tools for Teaching Academic Vocabulary by Janet Allen: 

Stenhouse Publishers says: "Vocabulary teaching often becomes an isolated activity rather than an integral part of our overall teaching. When this happens, students seldom internalize those words or incorporate them into their writing or speaking. In Tools for Teaching Academic Vocabulary, Janet Allen provides strategies that will help students learn new words, become more conscious of words, and increase competence in knowing when and how to use words."

Reading Projects Reimagined: Student-Driven Conferences to Deepen Critical Thinking by Dan Feigelson: 

Heinemann says: "Veteran teacher and author Dan Feigelson raises an important question about the larger goal of reading instruction: while it’s our job as reading teachers to introduce students to new ideas and comprehension strategies, shouldn’t we also teach them to come up with their own ideas - without teacher prompting? In Reading Projects Reimagined, Feigelson shows us how conference-based, individual reading projects help students learn how to think for themselves. He provides a concrete picture of what reading projects look and sound like in the classroom with:

• step-by-step guidelines on how to conduct a productive conference
• categories to help teachers narrow down possible directions a conference could go
• examples of student work and teacher-student dialogue.

When readers go beyond simple comprehension questions to extend their own ideas, they’re on their way to becoming independent, critical thinkers who can read any text with depth and thoughtfulness."

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor