Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children [Paperback]

Irene C. Fountas (Author), Gay Su Pinnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0435088637 | ISBN-13: 978-0435088637 | Edition: 1

Grades K-3

 

Among the many changes to sweep American literacy education has been a move toward whole class instruction. Nonetheless, children still bring to literacy a wide range of experiences and competencies. How, then, might teachers best support a literate community yet still meet the needs of individual readers? For Fountas and Pinnell, the answer lies in guided reading, which allows children to develop as individual readers within the context of a small group. Their new book is the richest, most comprehensive guided reading resource available today and the first systematic offering of instructional support for guided reading adherents.

 

Guided Reading was written for K-3 classroom teachers, reading resource teachers, teacher educators, preservice teachers, researchers, administrators, and staff developers. Based on the authors' nine years of research and development, it explains how to create a balanced literacy program based on guided reading and supported by read aloud, shared reading, interactive writing, and other approaches. While there is an entire chapter devoted solely to the process by which children become literate, every chapter clearly presents the theoretical underpinnings of the practices it suggests. Also included are guidelines for:

 

• observation and assessment
• dynamic grouping of readers
• creating sets of leveled books
• selecting and introducing books
• teaching for strategies
• classroom management.

Best of all, there are well over 2,500 leveled books in the Appendixes, along with many other reproducible resources that teachers will use for years to come. "Good first teaching is the foundation of education and the right of every child," assert the authors. With the publication of this book, educators themselves will find the foundation in reading skills instruction they so rightly deserve.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This is an important book for teachers, administrators, prospective teachers, college professors, or anyone seeking to provide quality teaching to children in their first years of schooling.”–Harvard Educational Review

About the Author

Irene C. Fountas, a professor in the School of Education at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been a classroom teacher, language arts specialist, and consultant in school districts across the nation and abroad. She works extensively in the literacy education field and directs the Literacy Collaborative in the School of Education at Lesley University. Together with Gay Su Pinnell she has authored numerous books, videos, and websites with Heinemann that are now considered standards in the field of literacy instruction and staff development. Their latest innovations are The Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention and The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, a comprehensive assessment system for grades K-8. Fountas and Pinnell have influenced the classroom practices of teachers nationwide through bestselling books such as: The Fountas & Pinnell Prompting Guide 1 (2008) When Readers Struggle (2008) The Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Book List, K-8+ (2009-2011 Edition, Print Version) The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-8 (2007) The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-2 (2007) The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades 3-8 (2007) Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K-8 (2006) www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com Leveled Books, K-8: Matching Texts to Readers for Effective Teaching (2005) Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children (1996) Guiding Readers and Writers: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (2001) Interactive Writing: How Language & Literacy Come Together, K-2 (2000) The Primary Literacy Video Collection Series of DVDs: Guided Reading; Classroom Management; and Word Study (2006) Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom (1998) The Reader's Notebook Help America Read and Coordinator's Guide (1997) In addition, through Heinemann's firsthand line of classroom materials, Fountas and Pinnell have authored Phonics Lessons (Grades K, 1, and 2), Word Study Lessons (Grade 3), Sing a Song of Poetry, and their corresponding word and picture cards. These materials are used in thousands of classrooms throughout the country. Fountas and Pinnell together present workshops nationwide on a variety of literacy-instruction topics through Heinemann Professional Development.

Gay Su Pinnell is a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. She has extensive experience in classroom teaching and field-based research, and in developing comprehensive approaches to literacy education. She has received the International Reading Association's Albert J. Harris Award for research and the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award for her contributions to the field of education. She is also a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Together with Irene Fountas she has authored numerous books, videos, and websites with Heinemann that are considered standards in the field of literacy instruction and staff development. Their latest innovations are The Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention and The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System, a comprehensive assessment system for grades K-8. Fountas and Pinnell have influenced the classroom practices of teachers nationwide through bestselling titles such as: The Fountas & Pinnell Prompting Guide 1 (2008) When Readers Struggle (2008) The Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Book List, K-8+ (2009-2011 Edition, Print Version) The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-8 (2007) The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-2 (2007) The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades 3-8 (2007) Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K-8 (2006) www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com Leveled Books, K-8: Matching Texts to Readers for Effective Teaching (2005) Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children (1996) Guiding Readers and Writers: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (2001) Interactive Writing: How Language & Literacy Come Together, K-2 (2000) The Primary Literacy Video Collection Series of DVDs: Guided Reading; Classroom Management; and Word Study (2006) Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom (1998) The Reader's Notebook Help America Read and Coordinator's Guide (1997) In addition, through Heinemann's firsthand line of classroom materials, Fountas and Pinnell have authored Phonics Lessons (Grades K, 1, and 2), Word Study Lessons (Grade 3), Sing a Song of Poetry, and their corresponding word and picture cards. These materials are used in thousands of classrooms throughout the country. Fountas and Pinnell together present workshops nationwide on a variety of literacy-instruction topics through Heinemann Professional Development.

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Heinemann; 1 edition (October 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0435088637
• ISBN-13: 978-0435088637
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.9 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Language Experience Approach
  • #49 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Professional Development
  • #81 in Books > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Pedagogy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 163 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book for Primary Teachers July 23, 2000

By Yvonne

Format:Paperback

Fountas and SuPinnel have written a book that has all the answers to any questions I have ever needed regarding teaching reading with groups. I have been teaching for 5 years and have finally found a book that really gives me clear explanantions, ideas, etc. The biggest question any teacher (especially beginning teachers) I know has ever asked themselves (including myself) was: "WHAT ARE THE REST OF THE CHILDREN DOING, while one works with a guided reading group? I have heard many ideas BUT this book has the best and most organized answer ever. If you have the same question(s) then you have to get this book. The entire book is fantastic, as Ms. Giacobbe put it, in the foreword, "why didn't someone tell us this before?" I felt the best part of this awesome book was Chapter Five: Managing the Classroom. The "Work Board" idea is one I've seen before but never truly understood until I read this book. The authors clearly tell you how to make, organize, and use the work board. They even explain, in detail, each Literacy Activity: Browsing Boxes, ABC, Listening, Art, Writing, Reading Around the Room, Independent Reading, Poem Box, Buddy Reading, and much more. Chapter Thirteen had some great ideas for Literacy Activities, specifically the Letter and Word Activities. The ABC Center ideas were excellent. Reading this book makes you want to do it all! I can't wait until the Fall!

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Guided Reading Goddesses May 24, 2000

By Amy L. Salyer

Format:Paperback

Fountas and Pinnell reach right into the heart of effective guided reading in the elementary classroom. Their book provides a clear plan for implementing a student-centered, learner-driven, EFFECTIVE guided reading program. Included are organizational strategies, templates, and bibliographies to help both beginning and veteren teachers take advantage of an approach that serves the needs of all children in diverse classrooms. These guided reading goddesses explain not just the WHY, but the HOW - HOW to actually conduct guided reading lessons, how to manage the data gathered from these lessons, and how to create a learning atmosphere that is supportive of all students, not just the brightest or those who happen to be sitting at the teacher's table at that moment. These edxpert teachers remind us that guided reading is NOT about creating "easy", static groups; rather, they help teachers see that guided reading addresses NEEDS, and that these student needs are fluid. Using Fountas and Pinnell's strategies for implementing guided reading, any teacher can create the flexible, needs-based and responsivce groupings that children require to achieve progress in reading. A must for all teachers!

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for elementary teachers April 2, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I've taught for twenty-eight years. During this time, I've used many different resources in the area of reading instruction. This book has done more for my students and myself than any approached I have used. I've never had students as enthusiastic about reading; and I'm having a ball teaching them. Daily, I see their improvement; it's dramatic!