Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for Comprehending Complex Texts - Paperback

by Nancy Frey (Author), Douglas Fisher (Author)

What it really means to "read closely."

What could Fern Arable, Jay Gatsby, and Winston Churchill possibly have in common? They all need masterful teachers to help students revel in their complexity. And Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher are just the two mentors to help you make that happen.

Call it close reading, call it deep reading, call it analytic reading--call it what you like. The point is, it's a level of understanding that students of any age can achieve with the right kind of instruction. In Rigorous Reading, Nancy and Doug articulate an instructional plan so clearly, and so squarely built on research, that teachers, schools, and districts need look no further.

The 5 Access Points Toward Proficiency

1. Purpose & Modeling: Teachers think aloud to demonstrate critical thinking and how good readers always know why they are reading.
2. Close & Scaffolded Reading Instruction: Teachers engage students in repeated readings and discussions, with text-dependent questions, prompts, and cues to help students delve into an author's ideas.
3. Collaborative Conversations: Teachers orchestrate collaborative learning to get students in the habit of exercising their analytical thinking in the presence of their peers.
4. An Independent Reading Staircase: Teachers artfully steer students to more challenging books, with strategic bursts of instruction and peer conferences to foster metacognitive awareness.
5. Performance: Teachers offer feedback and assessments that help students demonstrate understanding of text in authentic ways and plan instruction based on student understanding.

There's more . . . Also included are illustrative classroom video clips available via QR codes along with an online Facilitator's Guide with PowerPoints--making Rigorous Reading the only resource a teacher, school, or district needs to seriously stretch students' capacity to read and comprehend text.

Author Biography

Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. is Professor of Language and Literacy Education in the Department of Teacher Education at San Diego State University and a classroom teacher at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is a member of the California Reading Hall of Fame and is the recipient of several awards including the International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award, the Farmer award for excellence in writing from the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education. He has published numerous articles and books on school-wide approaches to improving student achievement, reading and literacy, differentiated instruction, assessment, and curriculum design. He is a board member of the Literacy Research Association (formerly the National Reading Conference) and co-editor of NCTE′s middle level journal, Voices from the Middle. He is highly sought after for his dynamic and engaging professional development workshops.

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is a Professor of Literacy in the School of Teacher Education at San Diego State University. Before joining the university faculty, Nancy was a public school teacher in Florida where she taught students at the elementary and middle school level. She worked at the state level for the Florida Inclusion Network helping districts design systems for supporting students with disabilities in the general education classroom.