Franki Sibberson

“Whole-class reading instruction has the power to harness the collective knowledge of the reading community that will foster independent readers and thinkers as they move through their literate lives.”What is the true purpose of whole-group reading instruction? Is it possible to teach standards and skills while also creating a community in which students are free to bring their whole selves into the work of reading? And how do we make this vision an everyday reality in our grades 3-6 classrooms? Elementary educators Lynsey Burkins and Franki Sibberson answer these questions and more in In Community With Readers: Transforming Reading Instruction with Read-Alouds and Minilessons. Burkins and Sibberson invite us into their classrooms as they redesign read-alouds and minilessons to support readers in whole-group reading instruction. Inside this book you’ll find:? Ideas for co-creating a community aligned to standards and grounded in readers’ identity, independence, and agency? A day-by-day look into what read-alouds and minilessons look like across a reading unit? Practical and meaningful routines for helping students co-construct an understanding of the standards, the books they read, and one another’s ideas? Planning and note-taking templates designed to center both the standards we teach and the ideas our students bring to these standards? An illustrated step-by-step guide to the first eight weeks of whole-group reading instructionIn this book, Burkins and Sibberson push back on the idea that whole-group reading instruction must be teacher-centered skill and drill, and instead offer us a way to create a truly meaningful whole-group reading community.

Classrooms should be spaces where every child feels safe to bring their whole self to school. This book shows how to set up preK-grade 6 classrooms that support student agency, independence, and choice. The results of classrooms designed with these goals in mind include: Greater student engagement with curriculum Students who know themselves and are empowered as learners Students who feel valued and care about their learning as well as the learning of others A more cohesive, authentic, and accepting community of learners Opportunities for choice and decision-making by all learnersWith examples drawn from real classrooms, the authors demonstrate how to make choices in seating, materials used, books read, and more. Special attention is paid to the design of classroom libraries in which a variety of diverse, quality books anchor so much of the work in helping young readers and writers grow and learn.The book is richly illustrated with photos and samples to provide an inside look at classrooms in which children are centered and the teacher is responsive to creating spaces with student agency in mind. 172 pp. 2023. Grades PreK-6

Authors Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak are back with an updated version of Still Learning to Read: Teaching Students in Grades 3-6, 2nd Edition. In the years since the first edition, prevalence of testing and Common Core State Standards have redefined requirements and what is expected of both teachers and students.This new edition focuses on the needs of students in grades 3-6 in for the following areas: reading workshops, read-alouds, classroom design, digital tools, fiction and nonfiction, and close reading. The authors examine current trends in literacy and introduce a new section on intentional instructional planning, as well as a new chapter on scaffolding for reading nonfiction. Expanded examples of lessons and routines to promote deeper thinking about learning are also included.In Still Learning to Read, you'll also find online videos that provide insight into classrooms. Students make book choices, work in small groups, and discuss their reading notebooks. Finally, updated and expanded book lists, recommendations for digital tools, lesson cycles, and sections for school leaders round out this foundational resource.

In Beyond Leveled Books, Second Edition, Franki Sibberson, Karen Szymusiak, and Lisa Koch provide even more resources to help teachers understand and meet the needs of transitional readers. The key topic of series books has been revised and enlarged, with charts outlining new series with the challenges they pose and supports readers need. New lessons have been added, and most chapters now include a related article from a literacy expert. Some of the contributors include Kathy Collins, Larry Swartz, and Mary Lee Hahn.Leveled books are an indispensable tool for teaching children to read, especially for emergent readers, but the authors of Beyond Leveled Books are sounding the alarm about the overuse and misuse of leveling and the way it restricts teacher autonomy and undermines student choice and reading engagement. The authors lay out a blueprint for using leveled books effectively within a student-centered and differentiated approach that is designed to motivate all readers, particularly transitional ones.Teaching Transitional Readers: Beyond Leveled Books is packed with resources to help teachers understand and meet the needs of transitional readers, including examples of classroom instruction, sample mini-lessons, strategies for small-group instruction, assessment techniques, and articles by literacy expertsResources for K-5 Classrooms: The book explores the uses and limitations of leveled texts in primary reading instruction, including ideas for how to organize your classroom library and a list of great books and series to use alongside leveled text in supporting new readersGateway to Independent Reading: The authors provide explicit tools for helping students consolidate their skills and reading strategies, to read widely and deeply, to increase their vocabulary, and build critical thinkingMaking Reading Fun: Teach students to experience joy from reading through deeper comprehension and applicationBeyond Leveled Books is an essential resource for K-5 teachers looking to help all readers, including budding readers, struggling readers, transitional readers, and readers who have plateaued.

In this book, two seasoned teachers show how to set reading goals, assess students to ensure goals are being met, and carry out instruction. Stressing that there are many ways to determine where students are and just as many ways to determine where to take them, they give teachers the tools to make that journey. They open with overview chapters on reading workshop and "the first six weeks" and move to detailed chapters on independent reading, read-aloud, whole-class instruction, small-group instruction, and conferences. In short, they provide a model for assessment-informed instruction.