Fountas & Pinnell Prompting Guide, Part 2 for Comprehension: Thinking, Talking, and Writing (The Fountas & Pinnell Prompting Guides)

The Fountas & Pinnell Prompting Guide Part 2, for Comprehension: Thinking, Talking, and Writing contains precise language to use when teaching, prompting for, and reinforcing effective strategic actions in reading and writing. Classroom teachers, reading specialists, literacy teachers, and literacy coaches can use the flip chart as a ready reference while working with students in several instructional setting and contexts.

Fountas and Pinnell provide language for teaching readers how to focus or expand their thinking through talk and writing before, during, and after reading. The goal is to help students think in three broad ways: 

1. Thinking Within the Text
Noticing and using the information that is directly stated in the text

2. Thinking Beyond the Text
Noticing what is implied, not explicitly stated

3. Thinking About the Text
Analyzing the writer's craft and thinking critically about the whole text.


The prompts in this flip chart tool are designed to help teachers demonstrate, prompt for, or reinforce effective reading behaviors related to comprehension including:

• Self-monitoring and Self-correcting
• Searching for and Using Meaning
• Summarizing
• Predicting
• Inferring
• Making Connections
• Synthesizing
• Analyzing
• Critiquing

Irene C. Fountas is the Marie M. Clay Endowed Chair for Early Literacy and Reading Recovery at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and director of the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative in the Graduate School of Education. She has been a classroom teacher, language arts specialist, and consultant in school districts across the nation and abroad. She is the recipient of the International Literacy Association’s Diane Lapp & James Flood Professional Collaborator Award, and the Greater Boston Council and the International Reading Association’s Celebrate Literacy Award. Currently, she works with administrators, coaches and teacher leaders in systemic school improvement.

Fountas and Pinnell's transformative, collective and comprehensive literacy work includes a cohesive classroom literacy system for grades PreK–6 (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™), an intervention system for grades K–12 (Leveled Literacy Intervention), an assessment system (Benchmark Assessment System for grades K–8 and Sistema de evaluación de la lectura for grades K–3), an extensive professional book base, and professional learning opportunities. Fountas and Pinnell continue to influence and inspire educators nationwide and abroad with resources and books such as:

• The Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Systems (2017, 2019, 2020)
• The Reading Minilessons Books, Grades K–6 (2017, 2019, 2020)
• Spanish Reader's Notebooks (2019)
• Reader's Notebooks
• Sing a Song of Poetry (2018, 2019)
• The Literacy Quick Guide (2018)
• Words That Sing: Poetry Charts, Grades PreK–2 (2018)
• The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Continuum (2017)
• Continuo de la lectoescritura, Grados PreK–8 (2020)
• Continuo de la lectoescritura totalmente en español, Grados PreK–8 (2020)
• The Fountas & Pinnell Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide (2017)
• Guided Reading: Responsive Teaching Across the Grades, Second Edition (2017)
• Fountas & Pinnell SELECT Collections
• LLI Choice Libraries
• Fountas & Pinnell Reading Record Apps
• Genre Study: Teaching with Fiction and Nonfiction Books (2012)
• Genre Quick Guide, A Companion to Genre Study: Teaching with Fiction and Nonfiction Books (2012)
• Genre Prompting Guide for Fiction (2012)
• Genre Prompting Guide for Nonfiction, Poetry, and Test Taking (2012)
• Literacy Beginnings (2011)
• Prompting Guide, Part 1 for Oral Reading and Early Writing (2008)
• Prompting Guide, Part 2 for Comprehension: Thinking, Talking, Writing (2011)
• When Readers Struggle: Teaching That Works (2009)
• Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K–8 (2006)
• www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com
• Leveled Books, K–8: Matching Texts to Readers for Effective Teaching (2005)
• Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children (1996)
• Guiding Readers and Writers: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (2001)
• Interactive Writing: How Language & Literacy Come Together, K–2 (2000)
• Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom (1998)
• Help America Read and Coordinator's Guide (1997)

While all the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ books, resources, and systems are deeply rooted in teacher professional learning, Irene and Gay, in collaboration with Heinemann Professional Development, offer a range of options and opportunities for professional learning designed to further develop the craft of teaching and foster a climate of collegiality and community.

Join the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Community to connect with Gay and Irene and thousands of educators from around the world on one of the fastest-growing online literacy communities. Continue the conversation on Twitter @FountasPinnell, on Instagram @FountasPinnell, on Facebook @FountasandPinnell or by joining The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Learning Facebook Group.

Gay Su Pinnell is Professor Emerita in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University and a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. She has extensive experience in classroom teaching, field-based research, and in developing comprehensive literacy systems. She is the recipient of the International Literacy Association’s Diane Lapp & James Flood Professional Collaborator Award, The Ohio State University Alumni Association’s Medalist Award, the International Reading Association’s Albert J. Harris Award for research in reading difficulties, the Ohio Governor’s Award, the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award, The Eastern New Mexico University Hall of Honor, and a 2018 recipient of an honorary doctorate Lesley University for her contributions to literacy education.

Fountas and Pinnell's transformative, collective and comprehensive literacy work includes a cohesive classroom literacy system for grades PreK–6 (Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™), an intervention system for grades K–12 (Leveled Literacy Intervention), an assessment system (Benchmark Assessment System for grades K–8 and Sistema de evaluación de la lectura for grades K–3), an extensive professional book base, and professional learning opportunities. Fountas and Pinnell continue to influence and inspire educators nationwide and abroad with resources and books such as:

• The Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Systems (2017, 2019, 2020)
• The Reading Minilessons Books, Grades K–6 (2017, 2019, 2020)
• Spanish Reader's Notebooks (2019)
• Reader's Notebooks
• Sing a Song of Poetry (2018, 2019)
• The Literacy Quick Guide (2018)
• Words That Sing: Poetry Charts, Grades PreK–2 (2018)
• The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Continuum (2017)
• Continuo de la lectoescritura, Grados PreK–8 (2020)
• Continuo de la lectoescritura totalmente en español, Grados PreK–8 (2020)
• The Fountas & Pinnell Comprehensive Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Guide (2017)
• Guided Reading: Responsive Teaching Across the Grades, Second Edition (2017)
• Fountas & Pinnell SELECT Collections
• LLI Choice Libraries
• Fountas & Pinnell Reading Record Apps
• Genre Study: Teaching with Fiction and Nonfiction Books (2012)
• Genre Quick Guide, A Companion to Genre Study: Teaching with Fiction and Nonfiction Books (2012)
• Genre Prompting Guide for Fiction (2012)
• Genre Prompting Guide for Nonfiction, Poetry, and Test Taking (2012)
• Literacy Beginnings (2011)
• Prompting Guide, Part 1 for Oral Reading and Early Writing (2008)
• Prompting Guide, Part 2 for Comprehension: Thinking, Talking, Writing (2011)
• When Readers Struggle: Teaching That Works (2009)
• Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading, K–8 (2006)
• www.FountasandPinnellLeveledBooks.com
• Leveled Books, K–8: Matching Texts to Readers for Effective Teaching (2005)
• Guided Reading: Good First Teaching for All Children (1996)
• Guiding Readers and Writers: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (2001)
• Interactive Writing: How Language & Literacy Come Together, K–2 (2000)
• Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom (1998)
• Help America Read and Coordinator's Guide (1997)

While all the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ books, resources, and systems are deeply rooted in teacher professional learning, Irene and Gay, in collaboration with Heinemann Professional Development, offer a range of options and opportunities for professional learning designed to further develop the craft of teaching and foster a climate of collegiality and community.

Join the Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Community to connect with Gay and Irene and thousands of educators from around the world on one of the fastest-growing online literacy communities. Continue the conversation on Twitter @FountasPinnell, on Instagram @FountasPinnell, on Facebook @FountasandPinnell or by joining The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Learning Facebook Group.