Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.
- John Locke
Reading Power promotes reading comprehension with a wealth of effective strategies that help readers THINK – interact with the text and construct meaning while they read.
Based on the research of David Pearson and influenced by Stephanie Harvey, Reading Power provides students with the tools to become more thoughtful and meaningful readers as well as how to become “meta-cognitive” or aware of their thinking while they read. Developing a “common language of thinking” across grades is a key aspect to this approach, while teachers learn the importance of using this language in all aspects of their teaching.
Central to the program is authentic children’s literature specifically chosen to help teach and practice each of the five Reading Powers: connect, question, visualize, infer and transform. These books are used for modeling, guiding and supporting students, enabling them to successfully focus on the strategy and acquire a deeper understanding of their thinking.
Teachers across the province have found this practical approach to comprehension instruction easy to implement and the “layer” they can add to their current programs to enhance their students understanding of text.
It’s hard to believe but Reading Power is almost 10 years old! Since it’s release in 2006, Reading Power has evolved into a recognized approach to comprehension instruction being implemented across Canada, in the US, UK, Sweden, Australia, and China!
In this edition Adrienne shares her new understanding about Reading Power strategies as they have evolved over the years, offers teachers new ideas, new lessons, and, of course, amazing new anchor books to support the reading power principles. An ideal resource for teachers familiar to this strategic approach to teaching reading, or for those looking for new ways to connect thinking with reading.
This follow-up book to Adrienne’s popular Reading Power book gives teachers a wealth of effective strategies for helping students think while they read material in all subject areas. Based on using the best children’s books to motivate students, this book shows teachers how to encourage students to recognize that reading is about using the brain to zoom-in, question/infer, find the main idea, make connections, and transform what’s on the printed page.
The book explores the particular features of nonfiction and offers lists of key books organized around strategies and subject areas. It promotes incorporating more nonfiction into the classroom through read-alouds, author study, and tips for teaching nonfiction forms and text structures. Student samples and reproducible pages that support the five thinking strategies complement this valuable resource.
Powerful Readers
For Secondary Teachers
Attention Secondary Teachers! Here is the book you have been waiting for! As we are all aware, at any age or grade level, powerful readers are those who are aware of their thinking as they read. The assumption is that high school students don’t need to be taught how to read; but even if they are able to decode words and gain a literal understanding, many aren’t thinking deeply about the texts they are reading.
Presenting a balance of theory and practical lesson, Powerful Readers demonstrates that explicit instruction in the key strategies of connecting, visualizing, questioning, inferring, determining importance and transforming can help students develop thinking skills to support their reading of both fiction and nonfiction. This valuable resource will guide middle and secondary teachers through practical, step-by-step lessons and provide connections to literary devices and reading lists for each strategy.