The Reading Comprehension Blueprint Activity Book: A Practice & Planning Guide for Teachers

In Nancy Hennessy’s bestselling book, K-8 educators around the world learned the fundamentals of evidence-based comprehension instruction. Now; in response to popular demand; there’s a companion activity book that helps teachers apply the Blueprint in their classrooms!

Grounded in the science of reading, this book is a practical field guide to intentional instruction that enhances reading comprehension skills for all learners. The activity book covers every section of the Blueprint: vocabulary, syntax and sentence comprehension, text structures, background knowledge, and levels of understanding and inference as well as expression of understanding. For each of these critical areas, this activity book gives educators:

• Clear and concise guidance on the what, why, and how of instruction
• Sample lesson plans that teachers can use as models for their own
• Instructional activities that help students build key skills needed for comprehension
• Ready-to-use tips for successful teaching
• "Try This" activities that help teachers reflect on and hone their instruction
• Supports for diverse learners, including students with learning disabilities and English language learners
• Reader-friendly definitions of important terms
• Links to multimedia content for further learning

Perfect for professional development, this hands-on resource can be studied by individual educators, discussed in small groups, or used as the focus for a training program or learning community. A must-have for current and future K-8 educators, reading specialists, and other practitioners, this activity book helps teachers apply their knowledge of structured comprehension instruction in their classrooms—and strengthen reading success for every learner.

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Table of Contents

About the Online Companion Materials

About the Authors

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Big Ideas of The Reading Comprehension Blueprint

Chapter 2: Implementing the Blueprint: Preparing for Instruction & Text Reading

Chapter 3: Implementing the Blueprint: Vocabulary

Chapter 4: Implementing the Blueprint: Sentence Comprehension

Chapter 5: Implementing the Blueprint: Text Structure

Chapter 6: Implementing the Blueprint: Knowledge

Chapter 7: Implementing the Blueprint: Levels of Understanding & Inference

Chapter 8: Implementing the Blueprint: Expression of Understanding

Reference

"With its innovative structured approach, educators will find this activity book an indispensable companion to the visionary Reading Comprehension Blueprint. Meticulously crafted lesson plan templates and models, coupled with the extra supports provided for diverse learners and English language learners, make this book an essential resource for educators dedicated to unlocking the full potential of every student."
- Pamela Kastner, Ed. D., Literacy Statewide Lead Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN)

"Clear step-by-step instructional routines to implement in your classroom tomorrow…A perfect companion to [Hennessy’s] Blueprint."
- Melissa Loftus And Lori Sappington, Hosts of the Melissa & Lori Love Literacy podcast

"When you are trying to learn something new and complex, nothing compares to seeing multiple examples at different grade levels, and this book delivers exactly that."
- Stephanie Stollar, Ph.D., Mount St. Joseph University, Founder of the Reading Science Academy

"By fostering critical thinking, [Hennessy and Salamone] help educators build a classroom environment that empowers students to become independent learners capable of extracting knowledge and building meaning — an essential skill for success in academics and beyond."
- Jessica Hamman, Founder & CEO of Glean Education

"Translates the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of reading comprehension instruction into the ‘how."
- Nancy Chapel Eberhardt, Educational consultant and coauthor of Sortegories and Syntax: Knowledge to Practice