Foreword by David R. Olson
Preface
About This Book
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. What is Unison Reading? The Method
Unison Reading: A Pedagogical Revolution
The Unison Reading Method
The Unison Reading Record
Children′s Self-Responsibility and Accountability
Getting Started With Unison Reading
Conclusion: "Chew Food Taste Better"
2. Unison Reading as a Program of Instruction: Classroom
Implementation
Unison Reading: Principles for Practice
Classroom Implementation
Summarizing Procedures for Implementation
Conclusion: The Paradox of Rules
3. Distinctions and Differences: How Unison Reading Breaks the
Mold
The Aims of Reading
Group Reading Instruction: Traditions and Conventions
Redefining Reading Instruction: Unison Reading as a New Space for
Learning
An Examination of Unison Reading Principles
A Pedagogy for Reading
4. "A Seat at the Table": How Unison Reading Supports Every
Child
Raising Strong Readers From the Start: Unison Reading in
Kindergarten and First Grade
Unison Reading in Content Areas: Maximizing Learning in Middle
School
English Language Learners and the Pull of a "Cool" Text
Re-Engaging Reluctant and Avoidant Adolescent Readers
Re-Entry: Mainstreaming Students With Special Needs Into the
General Education Classroom
Unison Reading Is Good for Everybody: The Advantages of Diverse
Learning Groups
"Unison Reading Makes Teachers Reading Teachers": What We Ourselves
Can Learn at the Table
5. Conclusion: Unison Reading as Consciousness Raising
A Concluding Story: Unison Reading at the Jacob Riis School
Conclusion
Conclusion
Afterword by Edmund W. Gordon
Appendix A. Forms
Appendix B. Forms
References
Index
Cynthia McCallister is the creator of Unison Reading, a method for
group reading instruction that conceives of reading first and
foremost as a form of social activity through which particular
skills and competencies develop. Cynthia developed Unison Reading
over two decades in her roles as a teacher-practitioner and a
scholar. During her early professional life as a teacher of young
children, Cynthia became intrigued by how readily children mastered
reading and writing in the context of activities that made literacy
engaging and playful. And throughout her experiences as a mother of
three children in New York City public schools, a K-5 teacher (in
rural Maine and New York City), a teacher educator, staff
developer, and school reformer with extensive involvement in a wide
range of culturally- and linguistically-diverse Pre-K-8 schools,
Cynthia has come to understand that learning for every child
depends on engagement, curiosity, a personal commitment to the
objects of learning, and an opportunity to acquire new ideas in the
company of others.
Cynthia is Associate Professor at New York University where she is
founding Director of the program in Literacy Education. She
received her doctoral degree from the University of Maine in 1995.
"This book’s strong research base, as well as the knowledge that a
school can use this method with success, speaks volumes to the
success rate of using Unison Reading."
*Dolores M. Hennessy, Reading Specialist*
"This book offers the promise of an effective approach to reading
instruction based on sound theory and substantial research. It is a
powerful antidote to the hyper-focus on low level reading
skills."
*Curt Dudley-Marling, Professor*
“Cynthia McCallister reminds us to stop labeling children and to
begin listening to them and learning from them. Above all, the
author highlights the importance of camaraderie, respect and
support as children learn to read in the company of their
peers.”
*Shelley Harwayne, Author and Educational Consultant*
"As the principal who collaborated with McCallister to pilot the
implementation of Unison Reading on a PK-8 schoolwide basis, I have
witnessed firsthand its true power to dramatically raise reading
achievement. Growth of students in all grades outpaced the national
norm, and our lowest performing students′ achievement
rates have been even more dramatic. Unison Reading, if brought
to a larger scale, can close the achievement gap.”
*Kerry Rutishauser, Principal*
“Cynthia McCallister’s Unison Reading boldly proposes and shows how
to achieve a deep change of theory and practice in the acquisition
and development of reading. It promises to live up to its subtitle
and build socially inclusive classrooms producing equity and
achievement. And, most exciting of all, this uncommon sense
approach will banish boredom and bring joy and excitement back to
the reading class."
*John S. Mayher, Professor Emeritus*
“Unison Reading enables educators to deliver the kind of attention
to individual performance that is normally only attained through
one-on-one instruction. As a science education researcher I′ve used
Unison Reading to hear students co-construct and talk about
scientific words, claims, and evidence and found it to be a
powerful tool to design transformative instruction.”
*Susan Kirch, Associate Professor, Science Education*
“McCallister and her colleagues in schools have spawned an
enormously generative idea that creates a lively and inclusive
learning environment. This approach provides a remarkable
opportunity for teachers who want a very rich context for observing
students′ comprehension and interests."
*Susan Lytle, Professor of Education*
“McCallister has developed one of the most exciting and important
educational innovations I have ever seen. In an era where schools
are forced into a Faustian choice between time spent on academic
skills and time spent on social, moral, and character development,
along comes this theoretical and practical breath of fresh air,
which elegantly does it all at the same time. This book should be
read by anyone interested in improving education.”
*Joshua Aronson, Associate Professor and Editor of Improving
Academic Achievement: Impact of Psychological Factors on
Education*
“Thank you, Cynthia McCallister, for this remarkable contribution
to practices of collaborative learning. The concept of Unison
Reading reminds us that learning is fundamentally a social process.
Most helpfully, we are introduced to the fine details of how this
process can increase motivation, attention, mutually supportive
relationships, and reading mastery. I am very impressed, and we
should all be grateful.”
*Kenneth J. Gergen, Senior Research Professor and Author*
"This could be the most innovative approach to reading instruction
I′ve come across in the last 20 years. It has the potential to
transform classroom practice, enabling students to meet the highest
quality standards of reading instruction. A must-read."
*Susan B. Neuman, Professor and former Assistant Secretary of
Education*
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