Review of Understanding Texts and Readers

What's the Buzz?

A Review of Understanding Texts and Readers by Jennifer Serravallo
by Stacey Taylor 

We've been waiting for this book to arrive for a long time. I mean, a Really. Long. Time. But finally, we can hold copies of Understanding Texts and Readers in our hands and begin using it with our students. But what is the best way to utilize this book in the classroom? Is it set up like Jennifer's other wildly popular book, The Reading Strategies Book? If not, how easily is it paired alongside it? What is the first thing to read or put into practice?

First let me give you an overview of the format of this book. It is separated into four parts. Part One centers around why Serravallo wrote this book. She talks about her feelings on text levels, comprehension goals, readers and the variables that go into understanding a text, and the research that has gone into creating this book. Part Two focuses on fiction texts and how readers will comprehend those texts. She begins walking through the characteristics of books level J-W, looking through the lenses of plot & setting, character, vocabulary & figurative language, and themes & ideas (Do you see that? Those are the SAME titles as the fiction comprehension goals from The Reading Strategies Book!). After that she goes into the kind of thinking readers should be doing while reading. She has created a progression of responses pertaining to each goal clarifying the type of work we can expect from our students (real student work is used in this part!). Part Three mirrors part two but moves onto nonfiction. For this section she looks through the lenses of main idea, key details, vocabulary, and text features (These should also ring a bell because they are the same titles as the nonfiction comprehension goals from The Reading Strategies Book!). Part Four explains how to put all of the amazing information Jen has given together and use it in the classroom. This provides the much needed answer to the ever pending question, “this all sounds great, but how do I actually implement these ideas with my students?”

These are pictures of excerpts from Part Two. The left shows how she talks about text levels. The right shows student work samples for a comprehension goal. 

When I think about some of the big questions teachers have about teaching their readers, they include: 

How do I know if they're understanding the books they're reading independently? 
How do I know if what they are writing about is appropriate if I've never read the book they're reading? 
How do I confer with a kid over a book I haven't read before? 
How do I know what to teach my student next without giving a quiz or test? 

I've got fantastic news for all of you wondering these same things, in Understanding Text and Readers, Serravallo has given us the tools and information that we need to answer each and every one of those questions. She believes that if teachers know the characteristics of books at different levels and the type of comprehension students should be doing within those texts, they can make sense of what kids are saying without ever reading the text. The entirety of Part Two of her book gives us the information we need to make sense of and really understand the characteristics of the texts our students read. It also includes progressions of the thinking our kids should be doing as they read and work samples that clarify what their writing about reading should look like. 

This is an example of the Progression of Skills that she has for each goal

If you haven't picked up on it yet, this book pairs perfectly with The Reading Strategies Book. The RSB tells us the strategies we can teach kids to help them meet a goal. Understanding Texts and Readers gives you the tools to make sense of what your students are saying without ever having to read the book you are discussing. To quote Jennifer Serravallo, "It's as if the first two pages of each of the RSB comprehension chapters (the "what is the goal" and "how do I know if it's right for my student" sections) were made into a 250 page book!". I also can't forget to mention that the two books are color coordinated. 

The color coordination is a beautiful thing! 

If you are a kindergarten or first grade teacher that is feeling bummed right now because most of your readers are not yet reading at a level J or beyond, don't fret. This book can be used to help you think about the thinking kids are doing when they are listening to texts in read aloud, shared reading, guided reading, etc. 

To answer the questions of how to best utilize this book in your classroom and what is the first thing to put into practice, I would start reading this book with a student in mind. Who is the kid in your classroom that you're struggling to figure out as a reader? What kinds of questions do you have about their thinking and the books they are reading? Take a peek into Understanding Texts and Readers and see if some of the work Serravallo has done for you can help you answer those questions. I am sure you will find something that you can take and use right away.

Jennifer Serravallo has expanded on the research of many of the pillars of literacy when writing this book (Fountas & Pinnell are referenced often). But in true Serravallo fashion, she has approached a complex topic and made it teacher friendly, accessible, and has created a resource that teachers can turn to time and time again to help them better meet the needs of their students.