Developing Reading Comprehension

“Be prepared to experience a compelling journey! In this readable and engaging book, Stahl and García have achieved the ambitious objective of describing the instruction that children need to help them transition from learning from their own experiences to learning from text, and from listening comprehension to reading comprehension. This is a book that will find a welcome home on every classroom teacher's and teacher educator's bookshelf.”

—Patricia A. Edwards, PhD, University Distinguished Professor of Language and Literacy, Michigan State University


“Developing Reading Comprehension is a very valuable resource that will improve your reading instruction. Every classroom teacher, reading specialist, and literacy coach should read this book. The authors explain effective reading instruction in basic terms that will increase the literacy achievement of all students, including English learners and students who struggle with the reading process. Stahl and García's work is a gift to the education field.”

—Lea Danon, MA, reading specialist, Mount Vernon (New York) City School District


“I wanted to jump out of my chair and exclaim 'Finally!' as I read this book. I'd like to give a copy to every elementary teacher I know! For too long, conventional wisdom held that teachers of young children must first focus instruction on foundational skills before working to develop reading comprehension and vocabulary. This book provides unequivocal evidence that young children—including English learners and children who speak a different dialect—are absolutely capable of critical thinking and thoughtful exploration and discussion of text. The authors explore a range of highly relevant issues, from comprehension strategy instruction to talk in the classroom and comprehension assessment, all critical topics in the CCSS context. Stahl and García provide dozens of practical teaching tactics to engage young children in new worlds and ideas.”

—Ellin O. Keene, MA, education consultant and author, Denver, Colorado


“This book is on the top of my list of 'must reads.' It is clear, comprehensible, highly readable, and a go-to source for all issues related to reading comprehension. The authors have on-the-ground experience in classrooms which, they weave together brilliantly with research.”

—Susan B. Neuman, EdD, Teaching and Learning Department, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University


“Stahl and García present practical, developmentally appropriate, research-validated strategies for PreK-2 classrooms. The book provides effective strategies and tools for successfully implementing critical components of a balanced literacy program, including read-alouds, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading.”

—Lisa Krueger, EdD, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Pupil Services, Orchard Park (New York) Central School District


“Stahl and García offer ways to bring young children into deeper meaning, stronger connections with, and wider understanding of stories and text. Teachers will benefit from this book in many ways. The anchoring message is that 'difficulties' in today's classrooms do not reside in the students, but in teachers' unexamined assumptions about them, alongside limited knowledge of strategies for those children in multiple-discourse communities. I can't put this book down—I will use it and use it and use it!”

—Karen Hale Hankins, PhD, Department of Education Theory and Practice, University of Georgia, and veteran primary classroom teacher of 30 years