Readers Front and Center

Every teacher wants and expects his or her students to be reading increasingly complex texts, yet sometimes the gap between our expectations and our students' abilities seems wide and deep. It's tempting to look at that gap and step in to fill it for them, but then we'd be doing most of the heavy lifting the understanding, analysis, and interpretation that our students should be learning for themselves. So how can teachers reverse this trend and ensure that our students are fully entering, absorbing, and experiencing texts? How can we make sure they're making complex meaning independently and proficiently,- as the Common Core State Standards require? Readers Front & Center answers these questions by framing instruction that starts with the student. You'll learn how to do the following: Research and listen to your students so your teaching can be more targetedNotice and name your students' thinking so they can see- what complex thinking looks and sounds likeSet your students up to be problem solversPrepare your students to do increasingly complex thinking in increasingly complex texts Filled with examples of one-on-one conferences, small groups, and whole-class scenarios, this essential book provides an accessible and inspiring model of how-;and why-;we need to put students at the front and center of our teaching.

Dorothy Barnhouse has been a literacy consultant in elementary and secondary schools for more than two decades. She coauthored What Readers Really Do with Vicki Vinton (Heinemann, 2012) and brings a deep love of reading and writing to her work. Dorothy lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.