60 Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension in Grades K-8

In her 40 years as an educator, Kathleen Feeney Jonson, Professor Emeritus, has been a teacher, taught director of staff development, principal, director of curriculum and instruction, and university faculty. She conducted numerous workshops for teachers and administrators on such topics as reading comprehension strategies, writing process, portfolio assessment, peer coaching, and beginning teacher assistance programs. Until her retirement in summer 2009, Jonson was professor of education and coordinator of the Master in Arts in Teaching Reading program at the University of San Franciscös School of Education. She published three books with Corwin Press, including The New Elementary Teacher¿s Handbook (1st edition 1997, 2nd edition 2001), Being an Effective Mentor: How to Help Beginning Teachers Succeed (1st edition 2002, 2nd edition 2007), and 60 Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension in Grades K-8 (2006).

This book, designed as a reference tool, fills a void by providing a concise overview of the teaching practices of literacy, helping readers examine and evaluate teaching strategies and techniques in the areas of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and visualizing.

PrefaceAbout the AuthorStrategy 1: ABC BookStrategy 2: Anticipation GuideStrategy 3: Bio PoemStrategy 4: Book BoxStrategy 5: BrainstormingStrategy 6: Bumper StickersStrategy 7: Central Story ProblemStrategy 8: Character BagStrategy 9: Character MappingStrategy 10: Creating Chapter TitlesStrategy 11: Crossword PuzzleStrategy 12: CubingStrategy 13: Directed Reading Thinking ActivityStrategy 14: Double-Entry JournalStrategy 15: Exclusion BrainstormingStrategy 16: FishbowlStrategy 17: Found PoemStrategy 18: Four-Corners DebateStrategy 19: Gallery WalkStrategy 20: Grand ConversationStrategy 21: Guided ImageryStrategy 22: Hot SeatStrategy 23: Interior MonologueStrategy 24: JigsawStrategy 25: K-W-L ChartStrategy 26: Learning LogsStrategy 27: Life ExperienceStrategy 28: Literacy QuiltStrategy 29: Literacy SociogramStrategy 30: Literature CirclesStrategy 31: Mind MappingStrategy 32: Open Mind Character AnalysisStrategy 33: Paired RetellingsStrategy 34: Pick-A-PalStrategy 35: Plot ProfileStrategy 36: P-M-I Evaluation (Pluses-Minuses-Interesting Aspects)Strategy 37: Quaker ReadingStrategy 38: Question-Answer RelationshipsStrategy 39: Questioning the AuthorStrategy 40: QuickwritingStrategy 41: Readers¿ TheaterStrategy 42: Read-Pair-ShareStrategy 43: Reciprocal Questioning (ReQuest)Strategy 44: Response LogStrategy 45: Semantic MappingStrategy 46: Sketch-to-StretchStrategy 47: SQ3R (Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review)Strategy 48: Stop-and-ReactStrategy 49: StoryboardStrategy 50: Story FrameStrategy 51: Story MappingStrategy 52: Story Prediction GuideStrategy 53: Story PyramidStrategy 54: Summary HandStrategy 55: TableauStrategy 56: Tea PartyStrategy 57: Think-Aloud ProtocolStrategy 58: Think-of-ThreeStrategy 59: Venn DiagramStrategy 60: Yellow StickiesResource I: Strategies Recommended by Grade LevelResource II: Elements Addressed Through StrategiesResource III: Strategies Used Before, During, and After ReadingResource IV: Meta-Strategies AddressedIndex