Reaching Readers: Flexible and Innovative Strategies for Guided Reading

The breakout success of guided reading comes as no surprise to most teachers. But is there only one way to do guided reading? Must teachers follow a defined set of guidelines? Michael Opitz and Michael Ford's response is an emphatic "No." With Reaching Readers, they offer a second-generation model of guided readingone that urges teachers to expand their vision and presents alternative practices.

Reaching Readers originates from the idea that there are at least five considerations that need to be thought through for meaningful guided reading to occur:

• Roles and Goals There are many different guided reading experiences, each one calling for different ways to group children and structure what happens. Opitz and Ford help you think through your roles and goals to obtain a broader perspective.
• Assessment and Grouping Good instruction begins with assessing, which leads to grouping decisions. Reaching Readers addresses your concerns about size, number, and group members, including how to use the results of assessment strategies and form groups.
• Texts There are many different types of texts and several ways to match texts to readers. Readers will find here suggestions for using each type of text as well as sample titles.
• Instruction It's essential that each guided reading lesson be strategically planned. Opitz and Ford visit nine different classrooms that show purposeful guided reading experiences in action to help you develop your own instruction.
• Organization and Management One adult with several children requires some kind of organization and management plan. The book presents ideas for keeping children meaningfully engaged, freeing you to interact with small guided reading groups with minimal interruptions.

Opitz and Ford's goal is to make guided reading an even more effective and efficient instructional technique. With this book, you can help ensure that all students reach their full potential as independent, lifelong readers.

A former elementary school teacher and reading specialist, Michael Opitz (@MichaelOpitz4) is professor emeritus education of reading at the University of Northern Colorado where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses and supervised doctoral dissertations. He is now a literacy consultant and author well known to individual teachers, instructional leaders, and researchers as the author of numerous professional and curricular resources and through his extensive work in schools nationwide. TEACHER PROFESSIONAL BOOKS Titles with Heinemann - Accessible Assessment: How 9 Sensible Techniques Can Power Data-Driven Reading Instruction (2011) - Classroom Catalysts: 15 Efficient Practices That Accelerate Readers' Learning (2014) - Comprehension and English Language Learners: 25 Oral Reading Strategies That Cross Proficiency Levels (2009) - Do-able Differentiation: Varying Texts, Supports and Groups to Reach Readers (2008) - Good-bye Round Robin (1998/2008) - Books and Beyond: New Ways to Reach Readers (2006) - Listen Hear! 25 Ways to Enhance Listening Comprehension (2005) - Reaching Readers: Flexible and Innovative Strategies for Guided Reading (2001) - Rhymes and Reasons: Literature and Language Play for Phonological Awareness (2000) - Reading Diagnosis and Improvement: Assessment and Instruction, 6th ed. (Allyn & Bacon, 2011) - Literacy Lessons to Help Kids Get Fit and Healthy (Scholastic, 2010) - Don't Speed. Read! 12 Steps for Smart and Sensible Fluency Instruction (Scholastic, 2007) - Flexible Grouping in Reading (Scholastic, 1998) - Literacy Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (IRA, 1998) - Getting the Most from Predictable Books (Scholastic, 1995) - Learning Centers: Getting Them Started, Keeping Them Going (Scholastic, 1994) CORE, SUPPLEMENTAL, AND RTI PROGRAMS - Pair-It Extreme (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010), a supplemental reading program aimed at engaging boys with reading - Literacy by Design (Rigby, 2008), a supplemental literacy and RtI program - Intervention by Design (Rigby, 2009), an intervention program tailored to children who need additional help with reading - Summer Success Reading (Great Source, 2007), a reading program designed to help children who need additional help with reading - Afterschool Achiever's Reading Club (Great Source, 2003) - Daybooks, Grades 3 - 5 (Great Source, 2008, contributing author) ARTICLES Mike is the author of more than 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as: - The Reading Teacher - Literacy Research and Instruction - Reading Horizons AWARDS AND HONORS Mike has received more than 15 awards for his teaching, scholarship, and service to professional organizations, including the Fannie Stabenow Award from the Colorado Council of the International Reading Association. LEADERSHIP ROLES - Editorial Boards of The Reading Teacher and Reading Horizons - Former Chair of IRA's Teacher Educator Award Committee - Numerous committees in CCIRA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Michael Opitz provides on- and off-site professional development through Heinemann Professional Development.

Michael Ford is a professor of reading in the College of Education and Human Services at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He has been involved with literacy education for more than 30 years as a first-grade and Title I teacher as well as a researcher and teacher-educator. His work with the international school associations has taken him to Africa, Europe, Central America, South America, and the Middle East. Teacher Professional Books with Heinemann - Classroom Catalysts: 15 Efficient Practices That Accelerate Readers' Learning (2014) - Do-able Differentiation: Varying Texts, Supports and Groups to Reach Readers (2008) - Books and Beyond: New Ways to Reach Readers (2006) - Where Have All the Bluebirds Gone? How to Soar with Flexible Grouping (2002) - Reaching Readers: Flexible and Innovative Strategies for Guided Reading (2001) Core, Supplemental, and RTI Programs - LEAD 21 (McGraw Hill-Wright Group, 2010, senior author) Articles Mike is the author of more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as: - The Reading Teacher - Childhood Education - Language Arts - Reading Research and Instruction Leadership Roles - Chair of the International Reading Association's Children's and Young Adult Book Awards Committee - Former President of the Wisconsin State Reading Association (WSRA) - Current WSRA Advocacy Chair - Current President of the Wisconsin Professors of Reading - Host of the series Behind the Lesson - a teacher PD companion to the award-winning Wisconsin Public Television children's series Into the Book Awards and Honors - The McGraw Hill Seeing the Learner in Every Child Award - WSRA's Celebrate Literacy Award - WSRA's Outstanding Service Award Professional Development Michael Ford provides on- and off-site professional development through Heinemann Professional Development Services. Visit Heinemann.com/PD for more information.