Customer Reviews

Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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!

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!

Last year I used the approaches advocated in this book in my first grade classroom. It was extremely successful! Every student left first grade reading and most were highly enthusiastic. I suggest combining the methods in here with the books titled Mosaic of Thought, Word Matters and Making Words.

I had this book at close tabs at all times. I really loved the icons they have at the back of the book (these are center icons). I photocopied and laminated them, and used them to rotated the children through their centers daily. I LOVE the list of books for each reading level. A big help when choosing books to read with each reading group. Excellent book. A must have in each classroom.

Guided Reading and Word Matters (by same authors) are excellent resource books for educators and parents who are actively teaching their children literacy skills. Both books are "reader-friendly" and full of practical ways to help children experience success in language arts. I strongly recommend both books when I present workshops to primary-grade educators.

This book is absolutely great for any educator who is interested in incorporating guided reading into their language arts program. Fountas and Pinnell also go as far as to provide suggestions of what to do while you are doing guided reading. Not only do they provide strategies to make guided reading more meaningful but they also have a wonderful list of books to use for guided reading with their reading ranges in the back of this great book! I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to make guided reading a part of their curriculum. It has been a great resource for me as a first year teacher!

This book covers all the bases for an effective reading program. It talks about classroom management, materials, skills to teach at specific levels, assessment techniques and much more. I'm excited about starting my new reading program and I feel more confident than ever about what I'm teaching!

Quite honestly, it's the secret to teaching literacy to children that nobody ever told us! If you teach K, 1, or 2 you MUST get this book it will change the way you think about reading and writing forever!

I knew that my guided reading program needed to change, but didn't no exactly how to go about improving it. This book has all the answers! Although I'm on summer break, I can't wait to go back in the fall and get started on my new literacy program, putting into practice all the things I've learned from this book.