Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers: Using Cognitive Research to Boost K-8 Achievement

By Elaine K. McEwan, Elaine K. McEwan-Adkins, Elaine K McEwan-Adkins

Book Overview

"The strengths of this book are many. It translates theory into practice, showing how a solid theory can inform one′s teaching."

Stevi Quate, Co-director of the Secondary Literacy Network
University of Colorado at Denver

"Very comprehensive It contains everything a teacher needs to guide students in comprehension."

Aileen Carew, Marin Reading Council President & Reading Specialist
Bel Aire School, Tiburon, CA

When students learn to read strategically, they read to learn

How do some students extract complex information from advanced reading materials while others struggle to find the meaning of even simple passages? What characteristics do strategic readers exhibit that others don′t possess? Unlocking the cognitive strategies of exceptional readers means finding ways to teach every student to read strategically, and help them be successfull in the classroom and beyond. This essential reading instruction teaching tool offers hard evidence to show how effective readers use specific strategies to extract and comprehend information.

Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers

melds scientific research with hands-on experience to offer a comprehensive look at reading instruction. Instructors will discover that they can use the seven strategies no matter what their teaching style, and students will discover how to read to learn. McEwan has developed easily reproducible tools geared toward helping teachers get the most out of their readers: Teacher Think-Alouds to facilitate modeling the seven strategies for your students Templates to speed planning time Activities to encourage use of the seven strategies Forms, posters, props, and prompts to assist both students and teachers

While theories come and go, research has shown that using these seven strategies will prove successful in the classroom-and beyond.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761946217
• ISBN13: 9780761946212
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Corwin Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.0" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

The author has certainly contributed a masterpiece to the world of reading!

This book, printed in large format, is originally intended as a comprehensive instructional guide for teachers & reading instructors, to teach students (in grades 9 to12) how to extract & comprehend information from simple passages as well as complex or advanced reading materials. I did not peruse this book in its entirety as my primary interest is only to find out, learn more about, & then master the seven reading strategies, since I have a passion for reading. Also, I am always looking out for new ways to enhance my own reading pursuits. In a nut shell, with the execution of the seven strategies, it is designed to help teachers to become strategic teachers & students to become strategic readers. To put in simple terms, a strategic teacher/reader employs a repertoire of effective strategies in his/her respective pursuits. The seven strategies have their deep roots in scientifically based research. In reality, I have read & reviewed only the first three chapters, as follows: Chapter 1: The Power of Strategy Reading Instruction; Chapter 2: Becoming a Strategic Teacher; Chapter 3: Understanding the Seven Strategies; & have a quick scan of the remaining chapters, particularly those pages with instructional templates, instructional activities & reproducible forms. So, essentially, chapter 3 is my prime target, which outlines at great length & in depth, the critical attributes of the seven strategies, as follows: (Chapter 3 is actually a crash course for me!) Strategy #1: Activating prior knowledge; Strategy #2: Inferring - reading the lines, between the lines & beyond the lines; Strategy #3: Monitoring-Clarifying - probing the text, thinking & reflecting; Strategy #4: Questioning the author, peers & teachers through self-questioning & formulating questions; Strategy #5: Searching sources - Selecting responses; Strategy #6: Summarising the reading; Strategy #7: Visualising-Organising - constructing mental images & /or graphics organisers; These are the real gems of this book & I have benefited tremendously as a strategic reader as well as a strategic reading coach. I have in fact adapted many of the cognitive strategies in my coaching of kids/teens/adults in the areas of mastering information as well as effective study skills. For the teacher (or parent who yearns to be a learning facilitator at home), & in the light of my own personal & professional experiences, I dare to say this book is a very pragmatic instructional guide. I seldom see a book so packed with instructional aids. Chapter 5 shows you how to organize for strategic reading instruction in your classroom. The last chapter lays out a school-wide implementation model. The references at the back of the book are a goldmine of information. The author, with an impeccable track record (teacher, librarian, principal, superintendent, author of 35 books for parents & educators, consultant) has certainly contributed a masterpiece to the world of reading!