Which Book and Why: Using Book Bands and book levels for guided reading in Key Stage 1 - Tapa blanda

This book will be valuable not only to professionals in schools, but also to trainee teachers at the very start of their journey into teaching. (Alayne Öztürk President of the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA))

The authors have produced an excellent resource book for professional development focussed on early reading development. Grounded in extensive research evidence and deep practical experience schools and teachers will find it of real value. (David Reedy Principal Adviser Primary Schools, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham)

This book is enlightening. At last there is a comprehensive and well thought-through guide to reading in school that goes beyond the phonics diet we are told all children need. It goes much deeper than soundbites: it gives schools not only a working policy but also clear guidance about hands-on practice.

The professional development notes will be invaluable in helping schools ensure consistency of pedagogy and practice throughout all classes and levels of reading fluency. And the guidance for self study will enable teachers to progress and develop with simple, non-judgemental direction. The searchable booklists on disc will save time when trying to select appropriate texts as this can consume hours'-worth of reading and sorting to ensure that the text facilitates the desired outcome.

This book feels like it has been written by people who are not only experts in their field but have done – and can still do – the job I am trying to do. It offers practical advice backed up by research and experience. (Penny Blewitt assistant headteacher and class teacher, Our Lady’s Primary School, Tower Hamlets)

We want all children to love reading, and Which Book and Why demonstrates how effective guided reading for children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 can help teachers make this happen.

Balancing theory and practice, this book explores how schools and teachers can implement guided reading more confidently and more effectively. Which Book and Why draws together the teaching pedagogy underpinning guided reading. The book demonstrates how to develop word-reading skills, reading for meaning, and reading for information.

Building on the success and strong foundations of Book Bands for Guided Reading (Baker, Bickler and Bodman, 2007), Which Book and Why:

· supports the effective delivery of guided reading for young children in the early stages of learning to read;
· helps teachers to choose the right book at the right time, based on focused assessments;
· explains how guided reading fits with current theoretical understanding of how children learn;
· 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 subject leaders and senior managers, and for teachers' self-study.

Which Book and Why includes in the accompanying CD-ROM a fully searchable database to support schools and teachers in choosing the most appropriate books at the right level for each group in a class. The database includes a full listing of colour-banded titles, including those from recently published series, allowing teachers to use their existing libraries more effectively while also informing decision-making about new resources. In parallel, teachers can search the database for texts that will complement the teaching progression of mainstream phonic programmes, review programmes that are available, and search for a text to consolidate teaching of particular phonemes.

Which Book and Why offers professional development resources in each section; 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.