Harvey, Stephanie & Goudvis, Anne (2007) Strategies That Work: Teaching Comprehension to Enhance Understanding. Second edition. York, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Pages: 339     Price: $30.00     ISBN: 978-1-57110-481-6

The process of reading is not a half sleep, but, in the highest sense, an exercise, a gymnast's struggle; that the reader is to do something for himself, must be on the alert, must himself or herself construct indeed the poem, argument, history, metaphysical essay- the text furnishing the hints, the clue, the start of frame-work. — Walt Whitman

As reading practitioners, the authors have spent the last twenty years applying research in their classroom practice. Their passion for writing about reading comprehension reflects their varied backgrounds as classroom teacher, special education teacher, staff developer, and adjunct professor. In 1999, they co-authored Strategies That Work and now seven years later have written a second edition which reflects new reading research and what they have learned about reading comprehension instruction in the last seven years.

A new theme threading its way throughout the book is called active literacy. Typically, a teacher who promotes active literacy within his or her classroom will actively engage students in reading, writing, talking, listening, and investigating across the curriculum (p. 2). In addition to the theme of active literacy, the authors also emphasize the role of background knowledge and its role in activating the student's ability to comprehend the thinking and reading done in the classroom. Twenty new lessons have been added with most emphasizing the relationship of activating background knowledge to all of the comprehension strategies described in the book.

According to Harvey and Goudvis, the purpose of comprehension instruction is to teach strategies as tools which can be used in many circumstances and with a variety of texts. Thus, Strategies That Work is a practical resource packed with a repertoire of reading strategies and ideas that can immediately be incorporated in the classroom. The authors have succinctly written specific steps describing how to incorporate the reading strategies into classroom instruction. Harvey and Goudvis provide examples of students' written and spoken work as well as examples of classroom vignettes which model how reading strategies might be used in a real classroom setting.

The new edition is organized into four sections:

• Part I explains the meaning of comprehension and the principles that guide reading instruction. There is a review of recent research and a new section on assessments. In addition, a new chapter, "Tools for Active Literacy: The Nuts and Bolts of Comprehension Instruction," expands ways to engage students in interactive literacy through think-alouds, read-alouds, guided discussions, and authentic written responses
• Part II is practical in nature. Chapters are organized by strategies such as monitoring, activating background knowledge, questioning, visualizing and inferring, determining the importance in expository text, and summarizing and synthesizing information. Each chapter includes lessons and practices which highlight the use of strategies to strengthen the teaching of reading comprehension. The authors have included learning goals at the end of each strategy chapter which are helpful for assessing students' learning. They also include examples of student work and suggestions for differentiation.
• Part III is a new section in which the authors share practical ways to integrate comprehension and content instruction across the curriculum. Included in this section are chapters on social studies and science textbook reading and topic study research. The last chapter is devoted to teaching students specific strategies for test reading. Educators will find the hints and suggestions helpful as they prepare their students for standardized assessments.
• Part IV, "Resources that Support Strategy Instruction" is brimming with a plethora of resources intended to augment the instruction of reading. Most educators and parents will find the thirty-three page list of great books for teaching literacy extremely helpful. In addition, a list of magazines and newspapers (grades 2-12), websites, and professional journals that review children's books will be instrumental in helping teachers design their reading instruction. The authors have included an index as well as a reference for many children's books and adult resources.

Overall, Strategies That Work (second edition) is a well written, well organized, practical anthology of reading strategies, comprehension lessons, assessments, and resources. The authors' purpose in writing the second edition is to expand the breadth and depth of reading instruction through strategies which help increase student engagement in reading across the curriculum. Readers who are familiar with the first edition will note the addition of new chapters as well as the revised chapters which have been rewritten to reflect new stories and research. Although one can read through the entire book, Harvey and Goudvis encourage readers to pick and choose chapters which most fit their needs. Many of the lessons presented in the book represent a wide range of grade levels and can be easily adapted.

As a veteran teacher of twenty plus years, this reader highly recommends Strategies That Work (second edition) to anyone working with students in the area of reading. The authors have synthesized reading research into practical instruction which teachers can easily implement to help their students become active readers, capable of thinking critically across the curriculum.

References

Whitman, W. (1871). Democratic Vistas. Paragraph 129. Retrieved 9/20/07 from http://www.bartleby.com/229/20025.html.

Reviewed by Patricia L. Burgess, University of the Pacific, Benerd School of Education.