Close Reading of Informational Sources: Assessment-Driven Instruction in Grades 3-8 - Hardcover

Cummins, Sunday

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1462539394 ISBN 13: 9781462539390

Publisher: The Guilford Press, 2019

Synopsis

This widely used teacher resource and course text--now significantly revised with 75% new content--provides a flexible approach to fostering high-level understanding of a wide variety of informational sources in grades 3–8. Through the lens of a new three-phase lesson plan, the author explains how to teach students to think critically about sources, monitor for meaning, identify main ideas, explain key details, and make sense of unfamiliar vocabulary. Now in a convenient large-size format, the second edition is packed with practical features, including a detailed study guide and links to recommended online videos. The companion website allows readers to download and print a reproducible lesson planning template and quick-reference tools, as well as additional resources referenced in the book. Prior edition title: Close Reading of Informational Texts.
 
New to This Edition
*Substantially revised and updated to reflect the ongoing development of the author's approach; lessons now comprise three clearly defined phases. 
*Expanded to cover close "reading” of video, audio, and infographics, as well as traditional texts.
*Chapters on new topics: selecting sources and teaching the use of context clues to learn new vocabulary.
*Additional practical features: sidebars with clear explanations of comprehension strategies, sample lessons, examples of students’ written responses, suggestions for assessment, tips for follow-up instruction, companion website, and more.

About this title

About the Author

Sunday Cummins, PhD, is a literacy consultant and author of professional books on assessment-driven instruction with informational sources. Formerly, she was Assistant Professor in the Reading and Language Department at National Louis University, before which she worked in public schools for 10 years as a middle school and third-grade teacher and as a literacy coach. Dr. Cummins teaches and learns alongside educators and students as a consultant and researcher with a focus on the power of informational sources to transform students’ thinking. She shares her experiences by presenting at state and national conferences, writing articles for numerous publications, and blogging regularly. Her website is www.sunday-cummins.com.
 
 

Review

"What an awesome book for teachers and reading specialists! Teachers often struggle with how to teach students to actively read, interact with, and synthesize multiple informational sources. I love the three-phase plan for learning in the second edition, as well as the suggestions for follow-up instruction. Teachers can use the Stages of Development rubric to determine where their students are on the continuum and how to move students further along. This is an essential tool for my teaching--it is filled with great resources, anchor charts, student work, and student-friendly explanations for the strategies taught."--Beth Herrig, MA, reading specialist, Indian Prairie School District #204, Aurora, Illinois

"Like the prior edition, the second edition demonstrates Cummins's ongoing research and her passion for working with teachers and students. Her firm belief in explicit instruction and the gradual release of responsibility is evident in her clear and concise lesson plans. Dr. Cummins's goal is to develop strategic readers, viewers, and listeners. This is accomplished by her three-phase plan for learning and matching template for lesson planning. This text is an excellent resource for professional learning communities and grade meetings for inservice teachers, as well as literacy classes for preservice teachers."--Harriet Y. Pitts, EdD, Department of Teaching and Learning (Emeritus), New York University

"In today's multi-informational world, students are challenged with a wide variety of sources that they must learn to read and understand beyond a superficial level. Cummins's second edition builds on the first by providing an expanded instructional roadmap, replete with close reading strategies for a variety of learning contexts. Each chapter has the feel of a workshop as Cummins guides teachers through a rich three-phase plan for learning with informational sources."--Richard T. Vacca, PhD, College of Education (Emeritus), Kent State University

Edition details

• Publisher: The Guilford Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1462539394
• ISBN 13: 9781462539390
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 258