Reciprocal Teaching at Work: Powerful Strategies and Lessons for Improving Reading Comprehension

In this fully revised and expanded third edition of the bestselling Reciprocal Teaching at Work, Lori D. Oczkus provides both tried-and-true and fresh solutions for teaching reading comprehension.

Reciprocal teaching is a scaffolded discussion technique that builds on the Fab Four strategies that good readers use to understand text: predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.

With a focus on these four evidence-based and classroom-tested strategies, Oczkus presents new ways to use reciprocal teaching to improve students' comprehension while actively engaging them in learning and encouraging independence. Appealing to students and teachers alike, reciprocal teaching encompasses social aspects of teaching and learning with modeling, think-alouds, and discussion.

This helpful guide is packed with fresh material, including

* More than 40 new and updated step-by-step lessons and minilessons that reflect current thinking and best practice.

* Dozens of rich suggestions for diving into informational texts.

* Updated research and relevant results that show the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching.

* Creative and targeted tips that capitalize on the specific benefits of whole-class settings, guided reading groups, and literature circles.

* Ideas for differentiating instruction for struggling readers and English language learners.

* New and newly designed support materials, including reproducibles, posters, bookmarks, and a lesson planning menu.

With a wealth of ideas to get you started—and keep you going—this is the all-inclusive resource you need to help students become active, engaged, and independent readers who truly comprehend what they read.

Reviews and Testimonials 

"Literacy coach and author Lori Oczkus knows how to take the best of what works from long-established research and showcase it to make teaching and learning more effective, engaging, and enjoyable. In her latest edition of Reciprocal Teaching at Work, she demonstrates how to scaffold instruction so that all K–12 students can benefit from reciprocal teaching techniques, what she calls the "Fab Four"—predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing—in whole-group, guided reading, and book club settings, for both fiction and informational texts. In clearly delineated lessons and minilessons, Lori deftly shares how to support students' learning, including English language learners and students who struggle, so they can successfully apply and monitor those four discussion strategies—as well as troubleshoot problems—to yield significant progress in their reading comprehension. Filled with great practical ideas, this gem of a book is a must-have for all literacy educators!"

—Regie Routman, author of Read, Write, Lead; Literacy Essentials, and Reading Essentials

"Reciprocal teaching works to push students into deeper learning. There are decades of research on the impact of this instructional approach, and this book shows you how to implement and refine the practice such that all students succeed."

—Doug Fisher, author of Checking for Understanding and Visible Learning for Literacy

"One of the great instructional research discoveries of the past three decades has been the efficacy of reciprocal teaching for improving student learning and reading comprehension. More than anyone, Lori Oczkus has explored practical ways for making reciprocal teaching an integral part of nearly any classroom setting. This current work by Lori represents the epitome of her work in translating reciprocal teaching research into practice. Readers will find this immensely readable book filled with strategies that can be easily implemented and that will improve student learning. If you are interested in improving your students' reading achievement, you need to read this book!"

—Timothy Rasinski, author of The Fluent Reader and Close Reading with Paired Texts

"In this new edition of Reciprocal Teaching at Work, Lori Oczkus offers new thinking while reinforcing the best practices that make her ideas timeless. Through these engaging lessons and smart instructional moves, you will empower your students to build the confidence and competence they need to become strong, independent readers."

—Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer

"On every page of this book, in every activity and plan, the voice of a gifted and empowering teacher inspires the reader. In a major revision of her classic work, Lori Oczkus engages the immediacy and demands of today's classrooms with the most robust constellation of strategies for teaching comprehension. She compellingly demonstrates how the "Fab Four" are engaged across the grades, and she powerfully scaffolds, supports, and reassures teachers in their efforts to incorporate reciprocal teaching across a broad communication, textual, and digital terrain."

—Shane Templeton, Foundation Professor Emeritus of Literacy Studies
University of Nevada, Reno, NV