Stephanie Harvey

The writing team of Literature Circles has discovered inquiry in the classroom; the use of research projects large and small to engage learner, have them explore the world of information, help them become critical thinkers, and build their knowledge in depth as opposed to the fast-moving coverage of surface knowledge. It is one of the first real books on inquiry we have seen for the classroom teacher. So, of course, our authors speak up for teacher librarians as co-teachers since we have show more been in the business of inquiry for many years…NOT. We are mentioned as folks who will fetch stuff for a project; so why name this as one of the best professional books of the year? We call this an “opportunity” book. Because of the reputation of the authors, if this book raises its heads in your school, it is a perfect opportunity for the teacher librarian to jump in with both feet as a full-fledged partner. There are some very helpful suggestions for teachers and teacher librarians as small groups are formed in the class to attack a topic, project, or problem and carry them successfully through the inquiry process to maximize learning, learning skills, and deep understanding. There are problems along the way from the teacher librarian’s perspective, but these challenges can be conquered easily as you, the teacher librarian makes any kind of an initiative into the world of inquiry. Read this; offer to partner with folks wanting to try inquiry; if it is your ticket in, go for it. show less

The strategies (and their success) are all sold through anecdotal evidence and the occasional quote, with little to no statistical support. It's very readable as such, but significantly less scholarly than I would like. Editing could use a bit of assistance (one of the author's states that they "could care less" about something - an elementary slip-up; the phrase is "couldn't care less"). The bulk of the book is a in standard type, but the actual strategies themselves are shrunk by about two show more font-sizes making it somewhat painful and straining to read them (this coming from a 28-year-old with 20/20 vision...). show less

Excellent book on the Comprehension Strategies. Lots of lesson ideas for all grades. The new edition includes the complete 1st edition plus more ideas.

It's helpful for new teachers. I honestly haven't used it recently, but it's a good resource to have on hand.