Which Book and Why: Using Book Bands and book levels for guided reading in Key Stage 1

Balancing theory and practice, this book explores how schools and teachers can implement guided reading more confidently and more effectively. Which Book and Why draws together the teaching pedagogy underpinning guided reading. The book demonstrates how to develop word-reading skills, reading for meaning, and reading for information.

Building on the success and strong foundations of Book Bands for Guided Reading, Which Book and Why:

* supports the effective delivery of guided reading for young children in the early stages of learning to read;
* helps teachers to choose the right book at the right time, based on focused assessments;
* explains how guided reading fits with current theoretical understanding of how children learn;
* demonstrates how guided reading works in practice;
* outlines how practice may vary, depending on the choice of text, teaching objectives, and the needs of the child;
* provides guidance for school subject leaders and senior managers, and for teachers’ self-study.

Which Book and Why includes in the accompanying CD-ROM a fully searchable database to support schools and teachers in choosing the most appropriate books at the right level for each group in a class. The database includes a full listing of color-banded titles, including those from recently published series, allowing teachers to use their existing libraries more effectively while also informing decision-making about new resources. In parallel, teachers can search the database for texts that will complement the teaching progression of mainstream phonic programs, review programs that are available, and search for a text to consolidate teaching of particular phonemes.

Which Book and Why offers professional development resources in each section; self-study activities for teachers – including student teachers, newly qualified teachers, and staff new to guided reading; resources for literacy subject coordinators; and resources for senior management and leadership teams to support the implementation of high-quality and effective guided reading lessons.

Sue Bodman is a Reading Recovery national leader at the European Centre for Reading Recovery, in the Institute of Education, University of London.

Glen Franklin is a Reading Recovery national leader at the European Centre for Reading Recovery, in the Institute of Education, University of London.