Comprehension Going Forward

In a recent Heinemann email advertisement, I heard about Comprehension Going Forward: Where We Are/What's Next, and I was instantly excited upon seeing so many well-respected contributors, as well as Harvey Daniels as the editor. I could not believe my luck when I saw it at my university library as I was skimming the literacy area for resources for the reading and writing workshop class that I will be teaching. Last night once the girls had fallen asleep and I finished another book I have been reading for my dissertation methodology, I was already tired but could not resist at least glimpsing through the book.

Right from Harvey Daniels' Welcome and Introduction I was hooked. He stated, "In these pages, sixteen distinguished authors show what comprehension instruction looks like when it is 'done right'" (p. 4). He then described a meeting in which the contributors got together to talk about comprehension and the possibility of writing the book. When reading this I was thinking about the energy and buzz that must have been surrounding the meeting, thinking it made me exited to read the book. Shortly after Daniels stated, "I've tried to edit this book so that it feels like the meeting in Denver--conversational, energetic, reflective, principled, forward-looking, and leavened with humor," (p. 6). He also mentioned that one avenue to keep this tone was by having the contributors comment on each others writing in the margins. I thought back to how I loved that aspect in Adolescent Literacy and was glad they decided to weave that component in.

As I started reading Ellin Oliver Keene's first chapter, I could instantly connect, as it focuses on a school closely examining strategy instruction and making sure that the strategies were actually enhancing understanding, rather than students just using strategies to use them. My colleague and I had very similar conversations this year, so I loved being able to catch glimpses into the other teachers' conversations, adding more depth to the voices. It was in that first chapter that I realized, I couldn't read this book as a library copy. Pen in hand and paper beside the book, I was worried that I was going to get so engrossed in the book that at any moment I was going to fly forward with the pen to underline or make a note in the margin before remembering it was not my copy. I also thought about how I would want to have my own copy with my notes right in the book for future reference.

Instead of continuing to read page by page, I started to skim through. I noticed more and more that I loved about the format of the book, as well as noticing many engaging topics. Here are some of my favorite aspects of the book's layout:

• The front flap and first page are a heavier weight of paper, containing a picture of each contributor with a quote and their signature.
• The start of each chapter has the author's signature, which I liked as a more personalized touch.
• Just as with Adolescent Literacy, I did love the comments aspect, but as I ran across them and saw how each comment was signed at the bottom with the commenter's first name, I loved this feature even more. It made it feel even more like a conversation among friends and indeed functioned to give the sense of energy and excitement about being part of the dialogue with each other.
• At the end of the book they compiled a list of the contributors' three favorite books or articles. It is in alphabetical order with and annotation and the contributor's initials at the end.

In her annotation about why Adolescent Literacy is one of her favorite books, Ellin Oliver Keene stated, "How can you not love a book that includes writing about adolescent learning from some of the most learned and practical people in the field today? I think this book sets a new standard for edited volumes. It covers a very wide range of topics and is so reader friendly and useful," (p. 256). I thought to myself that Comprehension Going Forward did an excellent job of meeting up to this new standard for edited volumes and demonstrates many of the same superior qualities as Keene was mentioning.

I have been trying really hard to not buy books until I catch up with the piles and piles of books that I already have waiting to be read. However, the farther I moved forward in the book, I realized that there were multiple links to my dissertation, the one loop hole I put for myself in being able to buy new books. From reading the books list at the end, I decided to also buy Apple and Beane's Democratic Schools, as well as Bracey's Education Hell: Rhetoric vs. Reality.

I noticed on the Heinemann site that Comprehension Going Forward is also offered as a book study bundle. For schools doing a book study, this would be an excellent choice for k-12.