Comprehension Instruction, Second Edition: Research-Based Best Practices (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) [Paperback]

Cathy Collins Block PhD (Editor), Sheri R. Parris MEd (Editor), Lesley Mandel Morrow PhD (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1593857004 | ISBN-13: 978-1593857004 | Publication Date: April 22, 2008 | Edition: Second Edition

This comprehensive professional resource and text is based on cutting-edge research. In each chapter, leading scholars provide an overview of a particular aspect of comprehension, offer best-practice instructional guidelines and policy recommendations, present key research questions still to be answered, and conclude with stimulating questions for individual study or discussion. Coverage includes such timely topics as differentiated instruction, technology and reading comprehension, teaching English language learners, and the implications of current neuroscientific findings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From theory to classroom practice, this well-organized and highly usable text represents an integrative view of the nature of reading comprehension. The text will provide graduate students with comprehensive foundational knowledge and will stimulate researchers in the field to consider new ways to investigate reading comprehension and classroom instruction. Block, Parris, and their colleagues have developed a book that offers information and support for teachers of young, adolescent, and struggling learners, as well as English language learners."--Pamela J. Dunston, PhD, School of Education, Clemson University

"This volume, a most worthy follow-up to the first edition, gets to the heart of how we comprehend text and how to best foster the development of comprehension in students. The array of topics and the quality of the chapters contribute breadth and depth to the ongoing evolution of knowledge in this critical area. This book is well situated at the convergence of theory and practice and, as such, I recommend it for graduate courses for teachers and researchers."--Peter Afflerbach, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland

"This is a book that needs to be read by all educators! This second edition examines groundbreaking research that is becoming more important in education today, such as the brain processes involved in the ability to comprehend text. This book is an invaluable resource for teachers of all grade levels who are serious about reading and comprehension."--John Scovill, Jr., MEd, third-grade teacher, Washington County School District, St. George, Utah

About the Author

Cathy Collins Block, PhD, has served on the graduate faculty of Texas Christian University (TCU) since 1977. She presently serves, has served, or was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association, National Reading Conference, Literacy First, New Zealand AWARD Program, U.S. Department of Education Regional Research Laboratory, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning Laboratory, National Center for Learning Disabilities, IBM Education Board of Advisors, National Center for Learning Disabilities, America Tomorrow, and Nobel Learning Communities. Dr. Block has written more than 250 research articles, books, and chapters concerning comprehension development, vocabulary achievement, exemplary teaching practices, and effects of curricular initiatives on student literacy success. She has taught every grade level, from preschool to graduate school, and served as consultant to hundreds of school districts in the United States and around the world. In 2005, she received the highest award bestowed by TCU to a professor for her outstanding teaching and scholarship across the country: the Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and Scholarship.

 

Sheri R. Parris, MEd, is currently completing her PhD at the University of North Texas while teaching undergraduate reading courses. Her major area of study is reading education, with a minor in neuroscience. As a former middle school teacher, her emphasis is on secondary reading issues. Currently, she serves as Secretary and Vice President of the Gifted and Talented Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association (IRA) and has recently served on the IRA Adolescent Literacy Committee. Ms. Parris was invited to speak at the 2007 IRA conference to present "The Expertise of Adolescent Literacy Teachers," published in April 2007 in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. Additionally, she coauthored two chapters in the 2006 book Collaborative Literacy: Using Gifted Strategies to Enrich Learning for Every Student (by Susan E. Israel, Dorothy A. Sisk, and Cathy Collins Block), which was nominated for the 2007 Ed Fry Book Award of the National Reading Conference.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 447 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; Second Edition edition (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593857004
• ISBN-13: 978-1593857004
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and comprehensive, June 22, 2009

By 

Elvin Ortiz "CurlyAl34" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Comprehension Instruction, Second Edition: Research-Based Best Practices (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) (Paperback)

I found this textbook extremely useful for someone who wants to upgrade knowledge on literacy and reading comprehension issues. All the articles are discussions on the most recent research in each area related to reading comprehension. The book is divided in five parts: new theoretical direction (note the dual coding theory if you care about building vocabulary and improving comprehension with visuals), the influence of neuroscience in comprehension instruction and research, , ways of improving comprehension, differentiated comprehension, and the use of technology in this area. I highly recopmmend this book for anyone who wants to be up to date in research on comprehension instruction.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Non-Effective Strategies, September 4, 2010

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R.L. - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Comprehension Instruction, Second Edition: Research-Based Best Practices (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) (Paperback)

This book was so convoluted that I can't believe that it was even published. You could only understand part of what was written. The book does not given you enough information on how to actually teach comprehension. Most of the information is just data on top of data. If the writers would have taken the time to show how these new strategies work in the classroom, I am sure comprehension would have taken place.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Comprehension instruction needed to comprehend this book, July 10, 2010

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P. Gardner "Penny Gardner" (American Fork, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Comprehension Instruction, Second Edition: Research-Based Best Practices (Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy) (Paperback)

I have been reading many books on writing and on teaching this summer. Professional writers tell us to keep our writing more simple, less wordy, less jargon-filled, fewer acronyms, and to use voice. It is not necessary to flaunt our professional status in writing that is difficult to comprehend. If the authors of this textbook had written more like they speak when presenting the information in graduate class, it may have made this book more accessible to those of us who seldom read textbooks. Is it possible to present this heavy, research-driven information in a more engaging way? I'm not sure if it is--but it is something to consider. Now I remember why I avoid textbooks whenever possible.