Quantity and Quality ─ Increasing the Volume and Complexity of Students' Reading

Wilde (curriculum and teaching, Hunter College) explains how to increase the number and complexity of books students read throughout their 12 years in school. She describes the reasons why this is important, then details how many books they should be reading, how hard they should be, what complex texts look like and how to know if the Common Core State Standards are being met, and how to increase book number and complexity by creating a collection that meets the range of readers in the classroom; is a mix of literary and popular books; is varied in topic, genre, length, format, and other aspects; is kept fresh and looks good; is organized and accessible; and has books that are displayed and cataloged. She discusses how to set up a reading program, inspire kids to read and match them with books, create a community of readers, and work with beginners, English learners, and struggling and reluctant readers, as well as ideas for building vocabulary, teaching the elements of fiction and informational books, and documenting students' growth. No index is provided. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Sandra Wilde, Ph.D., is the author of numerous Heinemann professional books including Quantity & Quality and Funner Grammar as well as the firsthand classroom resource Strategic Spelling. She is widely recognized for her expertise in developmental spelling and her advocacy of holistic approaches to spelling and phonics. She is Professor of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College, City University of New York. She is best known for her work in invented spelling, phonics and miscue analysis. She specializes in showing teachers how kids' invented spellings and miscues can help us work with them in more sophisticated and learner-centered ways. Looking at what kids do as they read and write is at the heart of Sandra's presentations and workshops. She can do lively keynote presentations that highlight the interesting things that we can learn by paying close attention to students' invented spellings and miscues, as well as workshops of varying lengths that focus on student-centered teaching of spelling and phonics. She has recently begun offering workshops that focus on understanding students' miscues as a guide to appropriate instruction, particularly for struggling readers. She lives in New York City. Sandra is quoted in this Huffington Post article about trends in grammar instruction in the Common Core era.