Which Book and Why (New Edition)

Which Book and Why is the definitive guide for teachers trying to achieve effective guided reading for children aged 4-7. This new edition is a vital resource helps teachers to choose the right book at the right time for young readers based on focused assessments and explains how guided reading fits with current theoretical understanding of how children learn.

This New Edition has had an overall update of content, including the searchable databases in the supporting online resource, and includes a new section that explores how to provide the rest of the class with meaningful literacy activities while the teacher is focusing on a particular guided reading group.Each part – and, in the case of Part 2, each unit – of the book offers professional development and self-study activities for teachers – including student teachers, newly qualified teachers, and staff new to guided reading; resources for literacy subject coordinators; and resources for senior management and leadership teams to support the implementation of high-quality and effective guided reading lessons.

• demonstrates how guided reading works in practice.
• outlines how practice may vary depending on the choice of text, teaching objectives and the needs of the child.
• provides guidance for school professional development sessions or self-study.
• contains a new section that explores how to provide the rest of the class with meaningful literacy activities while the teacher is focusing on a particular guided reading group.
• provides guidance for school subject leaders and senior managers.

Which Book and Why includes a supporting online resource with:

• professional development sessions linked to each part (or unit).
• two fully searchable databases (one for decodable texts and one for banded texts) to support schools and teachers in choosing the most appropriate books at the right level for each group in a class.
• overviews of book schemes and series.
• information to support setting up a guided reading library for four- to seven-year-olds.
• supplementary professional development sessions, guidance and materials for assessing children and organising groups.
• sample lessons to accompany colour-banded books.
• book banding descriptors.

Sue Bodman and Glen Franklin are Reading Recovery national leaders at the European Centre for Reading Recovery based at the Institute of Education, University of London.