What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, Grades 3-8

"Well, that was a great minilesson—now what?"



For every teacher who has uttered those words, this book is for you. In What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, educators Gravity Goldberg and Renee Houser take the guesswork out of determining students’ needs with a moment-to-moment guide focused on the decisions that make the biggest impact on readers’ skill development. With the authors’ guidance, you put their next-step resources into action, including:

Tips for what to look for and listen for in reading notebook entries and conversations about booksReproducible Clipboard Notes pages that help you decide whether to reinforce a current type of thinking, teach a new type of thinking, or apply a current type of thinking to a new textMore than 30 lessons on synthesizing information and understanding perspectives, writing about reading, organizing thinking, and moreReading notebook entries and sample classroom conversations to use as benchmarks Strategies for deepening the three most prevalent types of thinking students do when synthesizing: Right-Now Thinking (on the page), Over-Time Thinking (across a picture book, a chapter, or longer text), or Refining Thinking (nuanced connections across text and life concepts)Strategies for deepening the three most useful types of thinking—feelings, frames, and opinions—when considering perspectivesOnline video clips of Renee and Gravity teaching, conferring, and "thin slicing" what nonfiction readers need next With What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, you learn to trust your instincts and trust your students to provide you with information about the next steps that make the most sense for them. Teaching students to engage with and understand nonfiction becomes personal, purposeful, and a homegrown process that you can replicate from year to year and student to student.

"Goldberg and Houser – both former staff developers at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project – have perfectly combined theory and practice to help teachers put students first in their decision-making process. Best of all, they’ve provided the tools necessary to assist teachers in making those decisions become a reality right away."

— Reviewed by Pam Hamilton for MiddleWeb