Great Habits, Great Readers: A Practical Guide for K - 4 Reading in the Light of Common Core

by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo, Aja Settles, Juliana Worrell

A book that brings the habits of reading to life Great readers are not made by genetics or destiny but by the habits they build―habits that are intentionally built by their teachers. The early formal years of education are the key to reversing the reading gap and setting up children for success. But K-4 education seems to widen the gap between stronger and weaker readers, not close it. Today, the Common Core further increases the pressure to reach high levels of rigor. What can be done? This book includes the strategies, systems, and lessons from the top classrooms that bring the habits of reading to life, creating countless quality opportunities for students to take one of the most complex skills we as people can know and to perform it fluently and easily. Great Habits, Great Readers puts the focus learning habits, reading habits, guided reading, and independent reading. Content video and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Professional Development

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Paul Bambrick-Santoyo is the Managing Director of Uncommon Schools Newark, which is composed of seven North Star Academy schools. During Bambrick-Santoyo’s eight years at North Star, the schools have seen dramatic gains in student achievement, reaching 90+% proficient on state assessments in almost every category and grade level. As a result, they were recently recognized with the National Blue Ribbon award. Author of Driven by Data: A Practical Guide to Improve Instruction, Bambrick-Santoyo has trained over 2,500 school leaders nationwide in as his work at Uncommon Schools and as the Data-Driven Instruction faculty member for New Leaders for New Schools, a national urban school leadership training program. Prior to joining North Star, he worked for six years in a bilingual school in Mexico City, where he founded the International Baccalaureate program at the middle school level. He earned a B.A. in Social Justice from Duke University (1994) and his M.Ed. in School Administration via New Leaders for New Schools from the City University of New York—Baruch College (2003).

http://uncommonschools.org/bio/1017/p...

Reviews

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book for many reasons. I agree with so many of the premises of teaching children habits for discussion, reading thoughtfully, and promoting discourse. I also really enjoyed the examples of ways to prompt students and in which specific situations to use those prompts (such as "Tell me more" when students are giving a one word answer. The examples of good, better, and best questions were great too - focusing on questions that teach both the reader and the text. And I loved the part that illustrated how moving from a 2-1/2 minute transition five times a day to 30 second transitions can save 10 school days! I was absolutely ready to give this book five stars and then...I started questioning a bit. Some of the strategies seemed to be teaching absolute conformity and some of the video clips were students just parroting back without any thinking. It concerned me and then I discovered a company wrote this book based on their schools. Granted, it's a non-profit company, but still... Who are "Uncommon Schools"? What are their schools truly like? I'd really like to talk with someone else who's read this book to compare notes and share thoughts.

[Alissa Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for the structures of reading classes and lessons. It also has a lot of information about guided reading and how to teach PD for both.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an incredibly helpful tool for any elementary reading teacher. It breaks down Common Core standards into actionable habits any teacher can use in his or her classroom. Every teacher should read and utilize this book, specifically the extensive resources provided, including sample lesson plans, prompting guides, and lesson frameworks.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about early literacy, something I've been wanting to explore more. Clear examples, helpful video clips, and specific strategies -- another Uncommon Schools book that I thought was just terrific. They produce good stuff.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOT my go to book on reading! Go check out Donalyn Miller's books, Stephanie Harvey, Pam Allyn and Harvey Daniels first!

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for all educators...elementary and secondary.

[Angela Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I

[Rebecca Sofferman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The videos on the CD were the best part of the book.

[Margaret Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of direct and practical advice, with helpful illustrations through the use of DVDs and handy resources like lots of prompts.

[Bethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read a few chapters as part of our reading vertical team, mostly strategies for classroom reading instruction. Includes a dvd of the strategies in use in the classroom.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for K - 4. I teach 5th grade.

[Rochelle Eiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for teaching reading or coaching reading teachers. Great fro professional development includes a CD with video clips, discussion guided, handouts and other resources.