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
- Purpose & Modeling: Teachers think aloud to demonstrate critical thinking and how good readers always know why they are reading.
- 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.
- Collaborative Conversations: Teachers orchestrate collaborative learning to get students in the habit of exercising their analytical thinking in the presence of their peers.
- An Independent Reading Staircase: Teachers artfully steer students to more challenging books, with strategic bursts of instruction and peer conferences to foster metacognitive awareness.
- 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.
Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University. The recipient of the 2008 Early Career Achievement Award from the Literacy Research Association, she is also a teacher-leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College and a credentialed special educator, reading specialist, and administrator in California. Nancy can be reached at nfrey@mail.sdsu.edu.
Douglas Fisher, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Leadership at San Diego State University and a teacher leader at Health Sciences High & Middle College. He is the recipient of an IRA Celebrate Literacy Award, NCTE's Farmer Award for Excellence in Writing, as well as a Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education. He is a credentialed English teacher and administrator in California. Doug can be reached at dfisher@mail.sdsu.edu.
Nancy and Doug collaborate often. Text Complexity (IRA, 2012) is among their many best-selling texts-and Rigorous Reading's precursor, which explains what exactly makes a text "hard."
Industry Reviews
"One would think that the first place to look when wanting information about the Common Core State Standards would be, well, the Common Core State Standards. The fact is, though, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey are quickly becoming the go-to folks for information on teaching these standards. They've proven this again in Rigorous Reading. This is certainly a book to be added to your collection of books that attend to the demands of the CCSS." -- Kylene Beers, Ed.D. "With Rigorous Reading Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey have provided literacy educators who are committed to successfully raising the bar with solutions that make sense. The book is masterfully developed with an extensive reach across many grade levels in terms of defining what it means to provide intentional instruction and teaching text complexity. The five access points are discussed pragmatically with evidence of a solid research base deftly woven throughout the book. This is the most practical book I have come across in terms of providing teachers with the knowledge base and assistance many are seeking to improve their instruction with regard to complex texts." -- Steven L. Layne, Ed.D., Professor of Literacy Education "In Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for Helping Students Comprehend Complex Texts, Fisher and Frey help teachers understand how to bring vigor to rigor. They teach us how to help students understand more from their complex texts -- greater understanding that will help to bring life and energy to each student's reading. Rooted in solid research, this is book is a must-read for those grappling with how to translate the recommendations and mandates around text complexity from the Common Core into instructional practices." -- Jennifer Serravallo author of Teaching Reading in Small Groups and Conferring with Readers "In a time when nearly every state has adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), we need resources that show us how to support students in developing their full literacy potential. In this very practical and insightful book, Fisher and Frey examine how CCSS conceptions of text complexity are causing us to shift some of our ideas about reading instruction. Rigorous Reading is an important resource that will help teachers align reading instruction with the CCSS in powerful ways." -- Linda B. Gambrell, Professor "This is a bold book. . . . Its genius, and its unique contribution, is in bringing the balance and the centeredness to this new game in town-the Common Core." -- P. David Pearson, Professor of the Graduate School of Education
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