June 5, 2002
LITC 524
Professional Book
Review
Overview:
Matching
Books to Readers provides primary (K-3) teachers with an inexhaustive reading list, (with more than 7,500
titles) for using books in a guided, independent, and home reading
program. Fountas and Pinnell
provide helpful information on creating a leveled book collection as well as establish
criteria or key descriptors when selecting and leveling books. The authors provide detailed
descriptions of each level as well as defining categories and/or books used at each level. Word counts are provided to assist when
taking running records as well as equivalence charts that compare their list
with others. Titles of benchmark books are also provided for assessment
purposes. Other topics include: how to implement a guided reading program in
your classroom, how to create and organize a class and school collection, price
lists for class or starter book sets, as well as suggestions for collecting or
aquiring books. In addition, the
authors provide an easy to use grant guide for teachers who often struggle with
limited funds for purchasing books.
The target audience
of this book is primary teachers or literary specialists, but could easily
include upper elementary teachers or reading specialists who work with older
students who have sighificant reading difficulties and read below grade level. This book would be a wonderful resource
guide to have handy for those teachers, parents, and school librarians
considering a purchase of a school, class or home collection.
Essential Beliefs:
·
A
well organized book collection is essential to successful instruction.
·
Running
records are a powerful assessment tool in evaluating students’ reading
progress over time.
·
The
use of a leveled book system provides teachers with a clearer framework for
assessing students’ varying reading abilities.
·
This
system allows a teacher greater insight into his/her students’ reading
abilities as well as provide an opportunity to select texts based on a gradient
of difficulty.
Golden Lines:
·
“All
teachers want their students to be successful, confident readers. This process begins with sensitive,
responsive reading instruction, an understanding of how books support the
‘learning to read’ process, and access to a sufficient quantity of
high quality books.” (p. xi)
·
“Teachers
must select texts that allow individuals to read for meaning, draw on the
skills they already control, and expand their current processing
strategies.”
·
“”It
matters how much
reading children do; it matters what they read.
Successful processing is essential to building the self-extending
system. We believe it is the right
of every child to read ‘just right’ books every day. The leveled book collection, together
with good teaching, makes it possible.” (p.3)