The breakout success of guided reading comes as no surprise to most teachers. But is there only one way to do guided reading? Must teachers follow a defined set of guidelines? Michael Opitz and Michael Ford's response is an emphatic "No." With Reaching Readers, they offer a second-generation model of guided reading - one that urges teachers to expand their vision and presents alternative practices. Reaching Readers originates from the idea that there are at least five considerations that need to be thought through for meaningful guided reading to occur: 
<ul>
<li>
Roles and Goals: There are many different guided reading experiences, each one calling for different ways to group children and structure what happens. Opitz and Ford help you think through your roles and goals to obtain a broader perspective. </li>
<li>
Assessment and Grouping: Good instruction begins with assessing, which leads to grouping decisions. Reaching Readers addresses your concerns about size, number, and group members, including how to use the results of assessment strategies and form groups. </li>
<li>
Texts: There are many different types of texts and several ways to match texts to readers. Readers will find here suggestions for using each type of text as well as sample titles. </li>
<li>
Instruction: It's essential that each guided reading lesson be strategically planned. Opitz and Ford visit nine different classrooms that show purposeful guided reading experiences in action to help you develop your own instruction. </li>
<li>
Organization and Management: One adult with several children requires some kind of organization and management plan. The book presents ideas for keeping children meaningfully engaged, freeing you to interact with small guided reading groups with minimal interruptions. </li>
</ul> Opitz and Ford's goal is to make guided reading an even more effective and efficient instructional technique. With this book, you can help ensure that all students reach their full potential as independent, lifelong readers.

Reaching Readers: Flexible and Innovative Strategies for Guided Reading

Education & Teaching

Opitz, Michael F.

Ford, Michael P.

Schools & Teaching

Heinemann

There is more to grouping readers than the traditional grouping by ability with each level not so cleverly disguised by names like bluebirds, redbirds, and crows. Flexible grouping allows teachers to address today's increasingly diverse classrooms and their diverse needs. In this practical, hands-on guidebook, JoAnne Schudt Caldwell and Michael P. Ford describe a variety of grouping patterns and ways to implement them throughout the elementary grades. First they examine the most recent research on grouping practices in reading programs to present a rationale for moving these practices in new directions. Then, using an easily accessible question-and-answer format, they explore the "how to's" of alternative grouping practices, including: 
<ul>
<li>whole room instruction</li> <li>small-group formats</li> <li>cooperative grouping</li> <li>working in pairs</li> <li>individualized reading programs.</li> </ul> To demonstrate how flexible grouping really works, the authors visit classrooms at different grade levels to capture the stories of teachers who have implemented flexible patterns in their reading programs. Along the way, they discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern so that readers can make informed decisions and avoid common pitfalls when implementing a program of their own.

Where Have All the Bluebirds Gone?: How to Soar with Flexible Grouping

Caldwell, JoAnne

Try counting how many different types of texts you read each day. Now count how few your students read in class. Michael Opitz, Michael Ford, and Matthew Zbaracki argue that if we want children to meet our literacy expectations, we must do more than supplement basal reading or anthologies with a few books here and there. What kids need to grow into lifelong readers is true variety in a print-rich classroom, teaching that values their out-of-school literacy as well as their in-school literacy, and an emphasis on what works, instead of what's mandated. Books and Beyond is a book of big ideas and smart, useful strategies. Opitz, Ford, and Zbaracki suggest ways to model literate behaviors so that students come to understand that reading is not reserved for the classroom but permeates everything adults do. They describe step by step how to use ten distinct types of outside-world text in your reading program, including a wide range of genres and media. They offer specific advice and instructional alternatives for each kind of text and answer key instructional questions about it such as: <ul>
<li>Why use it?</li> <li>How can it be used in the classroom?</li> <li>How does it work with different age groups?</li> <li>What are examples that are appropriate for students?</li> <li>What websites are good for researching it?</li> </ul>
Books and Beyond has everything you need to create a reading program that truly offers students choice alongside a strong sense of how and why we use reading in our everyday lives. And with tips for working around the obstacles of basals, suggestions for reforming the attitudes that have left many real-world texts undervalued, ignored, or even banned from classroom use, as well as methods for using alternative texts to increase student interest and motivation, it's got enough savvy to help you make the transition to a balanced reading program without making waves. If you or your students struggle with banal basal programs, or if you'd simply like to open children's eyes to a wider world of genres, texts, and literature, read Books and Beyond. You'll find a whole new world of reading instruction at your fingertips.

Books and Beyond: New Ways to Reach Readers

Literature & Fiction

Zbaracki, Matthew

History & Criticism

Count on the assessment that only counts what really counts With these nine sensible, essential assessments, teachers can gather all the data they need. We share these assessments and show teachers how to use them across a school year for maximum instructional effect Michael Opitz, Michael Ford, and James Erekson "Data-driven instruction" is a new education watchword. But today teachers don't have time to collect data about readers that isn't absolutely essential. Accessible Assessment simplifies reading instruction by only counting what really counts. Accessible Assessment isn't like many of today's complex, time-consuming assessment programs. It combines nine informal techniques into a manageable, calendarized framework that makes sense and drives highly targeted, differentiated instruction. Opitz, Ford, and Erekson help teachers: <ul>
<li>measure only what matters most</li> <li>assess with the confidence that comes from a strong research base</li> <li>increase consistency and organization across school years, grades, and buildings</li> <li>implement predictable assessment structures flexibly</li> <li>plan short-, medium-, and long-range instructional goals.</li> </ul>
Accessible Assessment can make a big difference for individual teachers, but it's even more powerful for teaching teams or entire buildings. It can bring a new level of coherence to any crucial assessment task, including: <ul>
<li>screening, progress monitoring, and diagnostics for RTI</li> <li>assessing for key reading standards (including Common Core)</li> <li>sharing information with colleagues, administrators, and parents. </li> </ul>
Make assessment count more than ever by counting only what really counts. Count on Accessible Assessment.

Accessible Assessment: How 9 Sensible Techniques Can Power Data-Driven Reading Instruction

Erekson, James A.

"Some learners need to make more than one academic year's worth of growth in an academic year. We need instructional techniques that provide more bang for our buck and accelerate student growth." -Michael Opitz and Michael Ford When readers need more from us, we need more juice from our teaching. Classroom Catalysts shares a power pack of 15 instructional accelerators for meeting students' needs and closing grade-level gaps. Michael Opitz and Michael Ford show how to help jump-start learning so students not only make progress but reach proficiency. They present accelerators for whole-group, small-group, and individual instruction. These simple but surprisingly powerful techniques can actually create additional teaching time by bringing extra instructional energy to existing practices as well as seemingly noninstructional moments. For each of their 15 accelerators, Opitz and Ford show you how it fuses differentiation and acceleration. They offer getting-started suggestions, share reproducible templates, and provide ways to adapt the idea to your own situation. Reaching more readers with more of what they need and putting students on a path to make more than a year's progress isn't impossible. Begin by charging up your teaching with Classroom Catalysts.

Classroom Catalysts: 15 Efficient Practices That Accelerate Readers’ Learning

Do-able Differentiation (Print eBook Bundle): Varying Groups, Texts, and Supports to Reach Readers

Accessible Assessment (Print eBook Bundle): How 9 Sensible Techniques Can Power Data-Driven Reading Instruction

Classroom Catalysts (Print eBook Bundle): 15 Efficient Practices That Accelerate Readers' Learning

In this book, you'll explore what Michael F. Opitz and Michael P. Ford have discovered about planning lessons that engage students and enable them to truly enjoy learning. The authors outline key findings from research on motivation and engagement and offer real-life teaching examples from various grades. They show how to systematically propel students to enjoy using their minds every day--and to view themselves as confident learners ready to take on the challenges of the world. Engaging Minds in the Classroom is a must-read for any educator who understands that developing students' love of learning is the catalyst for achievement at every level.

Engaging Minds in the Classroom: The Surprising Power of Joy

Science & Math

Behavioral Sciences

ASCD

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ford, Michael P.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ford, Michael P.