What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, Grades 3-8

Your Moment-to-Moment Decision-Making Guide
What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, Grades 3-8
January 2017 | 296 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781506376370
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ISBN: 9781506351216
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Description

“Well, that was a great minilesson—now what?”

For every teacher who has uttered those words, this book is for you. In 
What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, educators Gravity Goldberg and Renee Houser take the guesswork out of determining students’ needs with a moment-to-moment guide focused on the decisions that make the biggest impact on readers’ skill development. With the authors’ guidance, you put their next-step resources into action, including:

  • Tips for what to look for and listen for in reading notebook entries and conversations about books
  • Reproducible Clipboard Notes pages that help you decide whether to reinforce a current type of thinking, teach a new type of thinking, or apply a current type of thinking to a new text
  • More than 30 lessons on synthesizing information and understanding perspectives, writing about reading, organizing thinking, and more
  • Reading notebook entries and sample classroom conversations to use as benchmarks 
  • Strategies for deepening the three most prevalent types of thinking students do when synthesizing: Right-Now Thinking (on the page), Over-Time Thinking (across a picture book, a chapter, or longer text), or Refining Thinking (nuanced connections across text and life concepts)
  • Strategies for deepening the three most useful types of thinking—feelings, frames, and opinions—when considering perspectives
  • Online video clips of Renee and Gravity teaching, conferring, and “thin slicing” what nonfiction readers need next

With What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, you learn to trust your instincts and trust your students to provide you with information about the next steps that make the most sense for them. Teaching students to engage with and understand nonfiction becomes personal, purposeful, and a homegrown process that you can replicate from year to year and student to student.

“Goldberg and Houser – both former staff developers at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project – have perfectly combined theory and practice to help teachers put students first in their decision-making process. Best of all, they’ve provided the tools necessary to assist teachers in making those decisions become a reality right away.”
— Reviewed by Pam Hamilton for MiddleWeb

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

A Quick-Start Guide for Easy Access

  • Chapter 1: Each Classroom Moment Is an Instructional Decision
  • Acting Without a Script: Embracing Our Role as Improvisers
  • Answering the “What Next?” Question
  • Intentional Teaching: Decision Making With Students at the Center
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: What Type of Decision Maker Are You?
  • Decision-Making Styles
  • Three Common Teaching Habits
  • Let Students Be Your Guide
  • Getting Started: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 2: Decisions About Book Selection
  • Making a Choice to Read Aloud a Nonfiction Text
  • Narrative Nonfiction
  • Persuasive Nonfiction
  • Expository Nonfiction
  • Mash-Ups
  • 5 Ways to Engage Students in Nonfiction Read Alouds
  • Chapter 3: Decisions About Reading Notebooks
  • Why We Really Use Writing as a Tool for Understanding
  • Current Reality: Why Students Write About Reading in School
  • Writing About Reading: An Important Tool for Readers and Their Teachers
  • How to Collect Thinking in Notebook Entries
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: Reading Notebooks
  • What We Might Let Go of When Asking Students to Write About Reading
  • Reading Notebooks: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 4: Decisions About Discussion
  • The Benefits: Making Meaning in Texts and Our Lives
  • Teach Students to Have Meaningful Conversations
  • Making Decisions Based on Student Conversations
  • Effective Nonfiction Conversation Characteristics
  • What We Might Let Go of When Asking Students to Talk About Their Reading
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: Student Conversations
  • Authentic Conversations: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 5: Decisions About Synthesizing Information
  • What Is Synthesis?
  • Why Is Synthesis So Important?
  • What Other Reading Skills Fit With Synthesis?
  • What to Look for When Students Synthesize Information
  • Thin-Slicing Students’ Synthesis Thinking
  • Decide What to Teach Next: Focus on Three Main Choices
  • Synthesis Across Texts
  • Synthesizing Information: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 6: Decisions About Understanding Perspectives
  • What Is Perspective?
  • Why Is Understanding Perspectives Important?
  • What Other Reading Skills Fit With Understanding Perspectives?
  • What to Look for When Understanding Perspective
  • Decide What to Teach Next
  • Reflecting With Students: How Understanding Perspectives Helps Us
  • Understanding Perspectives: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 7: Becoming Confident and Intentional Decision Makers

Appendices

  • Appendix A. Nonfiction Book Rating System
  • Appendix B. Some Favorite Nonfiction Texts
  • Appendix C. Clipboard Notes: Reading Notebook Entries
  • Appendix D. Clipboard Notes: Student Conversations
  • Appendix E. Synthesizing Nonfiction Texts
  • Appendix F. Clipboard Notes: Types of Thinking About Synthesizing Information
  • Appendix G. Understanding Perspectives in Nonfiction
  • Appendix H. Clipboard Notes: Types of Thinking About Understanding Perspectives

References

References

Index

Index

Resources

Description

“Well, that was a great minilesson—now what?”

For every teacher who has uttered those words, this book is for you. In 
What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, educators Gravity Goldberg and Renee Houser take the guesswork out of determining students’ needs with a moment-to-moment guide focused on the decisions that make the biggest impact on readers’ skill development. With the authors’ guidance, you put their next-step resources into action, including:

  • Tips for what to look for and listen for in reading notebook entries and conversations about books
  • Reproducible Clipboard Notes pages that help you decide whether to reinforce a current type of thinking, teach a new type of thinking, or apply a current type of thinking to a new text
  • More than 30 lessons on synthesizing information and understanding perspectives, writing about reading, organizing thinking, and more
  • Reading notebook entries and sample classroom conversations to use as benchmarks 
  • Strategies for deepening the three most prevalent types of thinking students do when synthesizing: Right-Now Thinking (on the page), Over-Time Thinking (across a picture book, a chapter, or longer text), or Refining Thinking (nuanced connections across text and life concepts)
  • Strategies for deepening the three most useful types of thinking—feelings, frames, and opinions—when considering perspectives
  • Online video clips of Renee and Gravity teaching, conferring, and “thin slicing” what nonfiction readers need next

With What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, you learn to trust your instincts and trust your students to provide you with information about the next steps that make the most sense for them. Teaching students to engage with and understand nonfiction becomes personal, purposeful, and a homegrown process that you can replicate from year to year and student to student.

“Goldberg and Houser – both former staff developers at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project – have perfectly combined theory and practice to help teachers put students first in their decision-making process. Best of all, they’ve provided the tools necessary to assist teachers in making those decisions become a reality right away.”
— Reviewed by Pam Hamilton for MiddleWeb

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

A Quick-Start Guide for Easy Access

  • Chapter 1: Each Classroom Moment Is an Instructional Decision
  • Acting Without a Script: Embracing Our Role as Improvisers
  • Answering the “What Next?” Question
  • Intentional Teaching: Decision Making With Students at the Center
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: What Type of Decision Maker Are You?
  • Decision-Making Styles
  • Three Common Teaching Habits
  • Let Students Be Your Guide
  • Getting Started: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 2: Decisions About Book Selection
  • Making a Choice to Read Aloud a Nonfiction Text
  • Narrative Nonfiction
  • Persuasive Nonfiction
  • Expository Nonfiction
  • Mash-Ups
  • 5 Ways to Engage Students in Nonfiction Read Alouds
  • Chapter 3: Decisions About Reading Notebooks
  • Why We Really Use Writing as a Tool for Understanding
  • Current Reality: Why Students Write About Reading in School
  • Writing About Reading: An Important Tool for Readers and Their Teachers
  • How to Collect Thinking in Notebook Entries
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: Reading Notebooks
  • What We Might Let Go of When Asking Students to Write About Reading
  • Reading Notebooks: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 4: Decisions About Discussion
  • The Benefits: Making Meaning in Texts and Our Lives
  • Teach Students to Have Meaningful Conversations
  • Making Decisions Based on Student Conversations
  • Effective Nonfiction Conversation Characteristics
  • What We Might Let Go of When Asking Students to Talk About Their Reading
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: Student Conversations
  • Authentic Conversations: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 5: Decisions About Synthesizing Information
  • What Is Synthesis?
  • Why Is Synthesis So Important?
  • What Other Reading Skills Fit With Synthesis?
  • What to Look for When Students Synthesize Information
  • Thin-Slicing Students’ Synthesis Thinking
  • Decide What to Teach Next: Focus on Three Main Choices
  • Synthesis Across Texts
  • Synthesizing Information: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 6: Decisions About Understanding Perspectives
  • What Is Perspective?
  • Why Is Understanding Perspectives Important?
  • What Other Reading Skills Fit With Understanding Perspectives?
  • What to Look for When Understanding Perspective
  • Decide What to Teach Next
  • Reflecting With Students: How Understanding Perspectives Helps Us
  • Understanding Perspectives: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 7: Becoming Confident and Intentional Decision Makers

Appendices

  • Appendix A. Nonfiction Book Rating System
  • Appendix B. Some Favorite Nonfiction Texts
  • Appendix C. Clipboard Notes: Reading Notebook Entries
  • Appendix D. Clipboard Notes: Student Conversations
  • Appendix E. Synthesizing Nonfiction Texts
  • Appendix F. Clipboard Notes: Types of Thinking About Synthesizing Information
  • Appendix G. Understanding Perspectives in Nonfiction
  • Appendix H. Clipboard Notes: Types of Thinking About Understanding Perspectives

References

References

Index

Index

Resources

SAGE Publishing Logo

What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, Grades 3-8

Your Moment-to-Moment Decision-Making Guide


January 2017 | 296 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781506351216 $40.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781506376370 $37.00

“Well, that was a great minilesson—now what?”

For every teacher who has uttered those words, this book is for you. In 
What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, educators Gravity Goldberg and Renee Houser take the guesswork out of determining students’ needs with a moment-to-moment guide focused on the decisions that make the biggest impact on readers’ skill development. With the authors’ guidance, you put their next-step resources into action, including:

  • Tips for what to look for and listen for in reading notebook entries and conversations about books
  • Reproducible Clipboard Notes pages that help you decide whether to reinforce a current type of thinking, teach a new type of thinking, or apply a current type of thinking to a new text
  • More than 30 lessons on synthesizing information and understanding perspectives, writing about reading, organizing thinking, and more
  • Reading notebook entries and sample classroom conversations to use as benchmarks 
  • Strategies for deepening the three most prevalent types of thinking students do when synthesizing: Right-Now Thinking (on the page), Over-Time Thinking (across a picture book, a chapter, or longer text), or Refining Thinking (nuanced connections across text and life concepts)
  • Strategies for deepening the three most useful types of thinking—feelings, frames, and opinions—when considering perspectives
  • Online video clips of Renee and Gravity teaching, conferring, and “thin slicing” what nonfiction readers need next

With What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? Nonfiction, you learn to trust your instincts and trust your students to provide you with information about the next steps that make the most sense for them. Teaching students to engage with and understand nonfiction becomes personal, purposeful, and a homegrown process that you can replicate from year to year and student to student.

“Goldberg and Houser – both former staff developers at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project – have perfectly combined theory and practice to help teachers put students first in their decision-making process. Best of all, they’ve provided the tools necessary to assist teachers in making those decisions become a reality right away.”
— Reviewed by Pam Hamilton for MiddleWeb

Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword
  • Acknowledgments
  • A Quick-Start Guide for Easy Access
  • Chapter 1: Each Classroom Moment Is an Instructional Decision
  • Acting Without a Script: Embracing Our Role as Improvisers
  • Answering the “What Next?” Question
  • Intentional Teaching: Decision Making With Students at the Center
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: What Type of Decision Maker Are You?
  • Decision-Making Styles
  • Three Common Teaching Habits
  • Let Students Be Your Guide
  • Getting Started: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 2: Decisions About Book Selection
  • Making a Choice to Read Aloud a Nonfiction Text
  • Narrative Nonfiction
  • Persuasive Nonfiction
  • Expository Nonfiction
  • Mash-Ups
  • 5 Ways to Engage Students in Nonfiction Read Alouds
  • Chapter 3: Decisions About Reading Notebooks
  • Why We Really Use Writing as a Tool for Understanding
  • Current Reality: Why Students Write About Reading in School
  • Writing About Reading: An Important Tool for Readers and Their Teachers
  • How to Collect Thinking in Notebook Entries
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: Reading Notebooks
  • What We Might Let Go of When Asking Students to Write About Reading
  • Reading Notebooks: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 4: Decisions About Discussion
  • The Benefits: Making Meaning in Texts and Our Lives
  • Teach Students to Have Meaningful Conversations
  • Making Decisions Based on Student Conversations
  • Effective Nonfiction Conversation Characteristics
  • What We Might Let Go of When Asking Students to Talk About Their Reading
  • Self-Reflection Questionnaire: Student Conversations
  • Authentic Conversations: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 5: Decisions About Synthesizing Information
  • What Is Synthesis?
  • Why Is Synthesis So Important?
  • What Other Reading Skills Fit With Synthesis?
  • What to Look for When Students Synthesize Information
  • Thin-Slicing Students’ Synthesis Thinking
  • Decide What to Teach Next: Focus on Three Main Choices
  • Synthesis Across Texts
  • Synthesizing Information: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 6: Decisions About Understanding Perspectives
  • What Is Perspective?
  • Why Is Understanding Perspectives Important?
  • What Other Reading Skills Fit With Understanding Perspectives?
  • What to Look for When Understanding Perspective
  • Decide What to Teach Next
  • Reflecting With Students: How Understanding Perspectives Helps Us
  • Understanding Perspectives: An Action Plan
  • Chapter 7: Becoming Confident and Intentional Decision Makers
  • Appendices
  • Appendix A. Nonfiction Book Rating System
  • Appendix B. Some Favorite Nonfiction Texts
  • Appendix C. Clipboard Notes: Reading Notebook Entries
  • Appendix D. Clipboard Notes: Student Conversations
  • Appendix E. Synthesizing Nonfiction Texts
  • Appendix F. Clipboard Notes: Types of Thinking About Synthesizing Information
  • Appendix G. Understanding Perspectives in Nonfiction
  • Appendix H. Clipboard Notes: Types of Thinking About Understanding Perspectives
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

"We know of no resource that promotes responsive teaching as well as these books do. Goldberg and Houser like teaching to improve, and then describe how teachers can learn to be fully in the moment of instructional decision making by focusing on a handful of things. From the detailed lessons to boxes titled, 'Decide to teach this tomorrow if your students . . .' these authors anticipate the content teachers want and the questions they raise. These thoughtful books show teachers how to make children’s reading needs central to instructional planning."
Kim Yaris and Jan Burkins, Authors of Who’s Doing the Work?
"I love this series! Goldberg and Houser succeed at something difficult: freeze-framing their intentional decisions about teaching readers in a way that we can all “see”—and then do in our own classrooms. They provide a decision-making model that helps teachers feel confident in letting their own observations of students’ written and spoken responses to text guide them. They distill the ever-present what-do-I-teach-next question into three choices, and these choices all center on furthering students’ ways of thinking as they read fiction and nonfiction. Through classroom videos and notebook entries, we learn the authors’ intuitive process. They don’t just leave us pondering, but scaffold our ability to be responsive teachers by providing lesson ideas that work for every kind of tomorrow—every reading next step. For fiction, they share lessons on character and theme; for nonfiction, on synthesizing information and understanding perspectives. The bonus is this: when we study and reflect on the authors’ decision-making process, we enhance and improve our own. These books should become seminal works."
Laura Robb, Author of Read, Talk, Write
"Making decisions about reading in our classroom is not easy, even though we make hundreds every day. Often, we don’t give much thought to how we decide what we do, but with this book, we are taken on a guided tour of what it means to make super-intuitive decisions about what our readers need next. Each chapter addresses decisions about key aspects of building a literature-rich environment and a community of readers, including reading notebooks, teaching students how to synthesize ideas, and understanding perspective. The chapters on great nonfiction and fiction texts and on helping readers learn how to select involving books are favorites, as they give me a more focused method to rely on. The books are practical, friendly, and chockfull of ideas and lessons that can be readily implemented."
Grace White, Supervisor of Curriculum, Wykoff School District, NJ
"These books exemplify the intersection of excellent scholarship and practical application for teachers in the field. They beautifully illustrate those essential metacognitive processes in a progression, and this helps teachers see how instructional decisions become instructional moves that translate into high cognitive demand learning experiences for students. This series an invaluable teaching tool for those who want to implement authentic Balanced Literacy experiences for their students."
Dr. Akida Kissane Long, Principal, Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary, Los Angeles Unified School District, CA
"Goldberg and Houser offer an insider’s view of intentional decision making in action by making us front-row observers of their thinking process. We stand beside them as they show us student-centered reading instruction at its best, listening in on book conversations, gazing over their shoulders to analyze writing in reading notebooks. This step-by-step journey yields explanations of why, what, and how that we can use to plan next lessons for our readers. The What Do I Teach Readers Tomorrow? series is a testament to our professional responsibility to keep students as our compass, their 'right now' needs and wishes as readers as the destination, and engaging books as the vehicle that takes us there."
Dr. Mary Howard, Author of RTI From All Sides: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

Recommendations