Lessons in Comprehension: Explicit Instruction in the Reading Workshop

Plumbing his file drawers for 64 of the most effective comprehension minilessons 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.

"Effective teachers teach," writes Serafini, and in effective reading workshops explicit instruction provides an important link between the written word and an emerging reader's ability to both interact with texts and understand them. Read Lessons in Comprehension, trust Serafini, and help your students learn the strategies they need to comprehend a variety of texts.

Frank Serafini is the author of the Heinemann title Classroom Reading Assessment. He is a leading voice on the reading workshop, whether the topic is implementation, planning, assessment, or comprehension. His passion for the workshop has helped tens of thousands of teachers find more effective and professionally satisfying teaching through Heinemann professional books such as Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days, Lessons in Comprehension, and The Reading Workshop and his newest book released in late 2015, Reading Workshop 2.0. Frank is a Professor of Literacy Education at Arizona State University and he brings his ideas, experiences, and deep understanding of reading instruction to teachers around the country as a member of Heinemann Professional Development Services.