Reading Beyond the Basics

Teacher and literacy coach Catlin Goodrow offers research-informed strategies and personal reflections to help older elementary school students engage with complex, vocabulary-rich texts. Grounded in effective tools and routines, her approach focuses on the teacher-supported reading of worthy texts. Teachers will find practical resources, templates, and examples of lessons to foster student engagement, accelerate reading skills, and support ongoing literacy development. Grades 2-6 classroom teachers, reading specialists, and literacy coaches will: - Shape literacy instruction around flexible principles versus prescribed programs of practice - Analyze and select texts that both foster literacy skills and encourage personal reflection - Develop literacy lesson structures that support students before, during, and after reading - Implement simple, reproducible exercises as grounding routines for reading engagement - Create safe learning environments where students can engage and explore their reading Contents: Introduction Part I: Preparing and Planning Chapter 1: Five Guiding Principles Chapter 2: Selecting and Evaluating Texts Worth Reading Chapter 3: Analyzing Texts With Readers in Mind Part II: Structuring Reading Lessons Chapter 4: Before Reading Chapter 5: During Reading Chapter 6: After Reading Part III: Conditions for Learning Chapter 7: Classroom Culture for Growing Readers Conclusion References and Resources Index