Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 Making Children Thoughtful Readers Is So Important July 5, 2008
Teaching young children to think and especially think about what they read is so important. Too often children read words with no idea about what they are reading. As a teacher I constantly use children's literature to teach comprehension. Two of my favorites are:Life's Little Lessons: An Inch-By-Inch Tale of Success and The Big Squeal: A Wild, True, and Twisted Tailwhich not only have fabulous messages but a great teaching guide. I recommend these very highly to my parents because of these guides. Start young teaching kids to understand what they read!
Powerful June 30, 2008
Debbie Miller's disarming writing style makes you feel as if you're dialoguing with her about teaching reading in an elementary setting - the book nearly vanishes and there you are, sipping a cup of coffee and listening to Miller respond (patiently!) to your myriad questions. Throughout the text she takes the reader with her, through teaching hiccups and tough lessons learned, and anticipates every question you have. It's easy to see she's a realistic idealist, someone who has high expectations but doesn't beat herself up for making mistakes. That kind of tone is too often missing in other books about education and sets this one apart from the rest.
Wonderful resource April 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a great book for any teacher to have. I work as a special ed teacher, so I work with one or two students at a time. The strategies described in this book are wonderful for teaching comprehension. One thing I really liked is that she explains how she does her lessons step by step. She even writes word for word what she says during each lesson. I think it's wonderful that teachers share their knowledge with others, share what has worked for them so we can all be better teachers. The book is focused on the kids enjoying reading and getting as much from every single book they read as possible. This book is geared especially toward teachers of smaller children (kindergarten, first, second) and even though my students are in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade I have found ways to adapt each lesson easily for them. It includes great pictures and some of the work her children have produced in her class. It is an absolutely valuable tool and I'm so glad I bought it.
FABULOUS! September 16, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. It is easy to follow, has great pictures and really shows the author's thinking process behind why she does what she does. I have read and reread this book, tabbed it to death, and bring it with me to school every day. I used all the strategies last year with very minimal tweaking and had phenomonal results in the "thinking about reading" strategies of my 2nd/3rd grade students.
Reading With Meaning July 3, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is an excellent to help new or veteran teachers add some spice to their reading lessons. Debbie Miller not only models many of her lesson topics but also gives suggested book titles for you to help make the lesson 'your own'. I would reccommend this book to anyone who teaches reading. The skills focused on in this book are superb lessons that all readers should know how to do!
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