Lessons in Comprehension: Explicit Instruction in the Reading Workshop

Plumbing his file drawers for 64 of the most effective comprehension mini-lessons from his distinguished teaching career, Serafini has created a teaching treasure trove that contains nearly a year's worth of comprehension instruction plus an extensive list of children's literature that he has successfully woven into his own reading workshop. Lessons in Comprehension introduces and reinforces meaning-making concepts through eight broad thematic strands that scaffold understanding and responsibility for novice readers:

• Inviting Children into the World of Reading and Literature

• Exploring the Structures and Components of Literature

• Navigating Text

• Promoting Invested Literature Discussions

• Developing Comprehension Practices

• Investigating Informational Texts

• Extending Response to Literature

• Examining Critical Perspectives.

Within each strand, eight lessons take students deep into key comprehension strategies like visualization, journaling, and previewing texts. Tried, proven, and grounded in the latest scientific-based research, each substantial lesson offers a complete framework to take you and your students from theory through guided practice and beyond. And, unique among books on the reading workshop, each lesson also features Serafini's own classroom-honed language-the perfect model to adapt for explicit instruction in any reading classroom. These lessons fit seamlessly together and provide the instructional backbone for learners of every level and ability.