Powerful Book Introductions: Leading with Meaning for Deeper Thinking

The best part of her job is working alongside coaches and teachers in classrooms, engaging in authentic experiences with students.  When Kathleen decided to become a teacher, her aunt, Pat Johnson, also a Stenhouse author, was her mentor. In her current role, as Literacy Collaborative District Trainer for Fairfax County Public Sc

Many teachers struggle with decisions about what these introductions should address, what they should include, and how to conduct them.   In Powerful Book Introductions literacy leaders Kathleen Fay, Chrisie Moritz, and Suzanne Whaley speak to these concerns by taking a close look at the purposeful planning that goes into preparing for this small but vital part of today’s guided reading lessons. Effective book introductions during guided reading set the stage for young readers to navigate new texts independently and successfully and often shape the outcome of small-group lessons. Through relatable classroom examples and the wisdom of th

Now this is the type of relationship I try to form with teachers and coaches." Kathleen believes that meaning is at the heart of most powerful learning experiences and students naturally work to understand.  She collaborated with Chrisie Moritz and Suzanne Whaley to write Powerful Book Introductions: Leading with Meaning to Promote Thinking to help teachers analyze texts and plan lessons where meaning is at the forefront of learning opportunities.   Kathleen and Suzanne Whaley wrote their first book, Becoming One Community: Reading and Writing with English Language Learners (Stenhouse 2004), to support teachers who work in diverse communities and value every student as a full member of the community.  Kathleen lives in Annandale, Virginia with her husband, Dan, and their two children, Willie and Charlotte. . Our relationship gradually changed from one of mentor/mentee to colleagues who think and le