A Book Study:
Reading To, With, and By Children
By Margaret E. Mooney
Synopsis/General Information
This book is based on the author’s New Zealand experiences as a teacher, consultant, editor, and educator. The
book is based on the premise that what happens during reading time is affected by and affects everything that
happens during the entire school day. The book is intended to support teachers with making informed decisions
about the learning opportunities that are offered to students to ensure that reading is an enjoyable and successful
experience.
About the author
Margaret E. Mooney is an internationally renowned and respected educator, author, and editor. She has produced
children's books and books for educators. Margaret spends many days each year in schools and classrooms in New
Zealand and the United States, working with students and teachers, exploring the use of books and strategies for
successful reading and writing.
Rationale for selection
This book was chosen for teachers to think about reading and what needs to be considered when planning.
Through the discussion, teachers should be able to have a resource they could use immediately in the classroom
when they had questions about reading and their planning.
Chapter 1: Introduction (1-4)
1.
2.
What is reading?
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) emphasize literacy and reading in the content areas. How might this look
in the classroom as we help students develop their view of reading?
Chapter 2: Learning to Talk and Learning to Read (5-12)
3.
4.
5.
How are learning to talk and learning to read and write similarly linked?
Discuss some of the approaches to reading that are used to support children as they begin to experience reading.
How might you vary your Teacher Role during the different approaches to reading in order to support your students’
reading experiences?
Chapter 3: Focusing on the Reader (13-16)
6.
7.
8.
Discuss how the effective rhythm for developing readers and writers allows us to focus on the learner.
Discuss the three broad stages of reading and how the teacher can support students as they move through the stages.
As you focus on the readers, your students, how might you use their information as well as your Real Time
Assessments to Monitor and Adjust to support their learning and stages of reading?
Chapter 4: Choosing the Appropriate Approach (17-20)
9.
When planning lessons, what considerations need to be made when deciding which reading approach to take with
students?
10. How might your Teacher Role be varied throughout a lesson with the different reading approaches? How might this
look in the classroom?
Mooney, Margaret E. 1990. Reading To, With, and By Children. Katonah, NY. Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
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A Book Study:
Reading To, With, and By Children
By Margaret E. Mooney
Chapter 5: Reading to Children (21-24)
11. What is the purpose of reading to children?
12. What are some of the benefits of reading to children?
13. The CCSS emphasize reading and that it is to be integrated with all subjects. How can reading to children support this
effort and build Conceptual Understanding?
Chapter 6: Shared Reading (25-40)
14. What is the purpose of shared reading and how might it look in your classroom?
15. How do you ensure Authentic Engagement opportunities for students during a shared reading experience? How
might this look in your planning?
16. When planning for the shared reading activity, how do you plan for Teacher-to-Student Interaction?
17. Look at the Sample Lesson: Shared Reading at The Emergent Stage. Is there a piece of literature that you can use to
plan a shared reading lesson similar to this one?
Chapter 7: Language Experience (41-44)
18. What is the purpose of language experience approach and how might it look in your classroom?
19. How might the Teacher Role vary during the language experience approach and how might this look in the classroom?
20. Think of an upcoming lesson where you can plan questions to ask students that will encourage them to further
explore or reflect on their learning and possibly lead to language experience.
Chapter 8: Guided Reading (45-70)
21. What is Guided Reading and how might it look in your classroom?
22. How do Guided Reading and Traditional Reading Methods differ?
23. When planning a Guided Reading lesson, how can you plan tasks that most students can associate with to ensure
Authentic Engagement?
24. As students are progressing through a Guided Reading lesson, what Real Time Assessments do you plan/look for to
check for understanding in order to Monitor and Adjust?
25. The chapter discusses three stages of Guided Reading (Emergent, Early, and Fluency). What types of books are
required for each stage?
26. When looking at the Correct Level of Difficulty, look at the books you have in your class library and categorize them
into each guided reading stage.
27. Using the data from your Real Time Assessments, group your students into the correct Guided Reading stage, so to
better meet their instructional needs.
28. Using one of your Guided Reading books at each level and the Sample Lessons in the chapter, plan a Guided Reading
lesson for your students.
Chapter 9: Independent Reading (71-76)
29. What are things that need to be considered when planning for independent reading opportunities?
30. How can you nurture independent reading at every stage of your students’ reading development? How does your
Teacher Role support that?
31. When selecting books for Independent Reading, how do Authentic Engagement and Correct Level of Difficulty come
into play?
32. Look at your current “Book Corner.” Are there any adjustments you can make to it to nurture and establish a habit or
independent reading?
Mooney, Margaret E. 1990. Reading To, With, and By Children. Katonah, NY. Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
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A Book Study:
Reading To, With, and By Children
By Margaret E. Mooney
Chapter 10: Continue the Dialogue (77-84)
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Discuss why the Post Reading phase is important.
How does the Post Reading phase support reading success and personal experience for children?
How can the Post Reading tasks facilitate Authentic Engagement?
How do you plan for Content Accessibility for all students during post reading tasks?
How can you utilize students’ post reading tasks as Real Time Assessments?
How can you use post reading tasks to Monitor and Adjust to support student learning?
How do the post reading tasks support Teacher-to-Student Interaction and collaboration with the learner?
Plan post reading tasks that allow students to continue the dialogue.
Chapter 11: Sharing the Responses (85-88)
41. Discuss how you plan for students to share their response(s) of text/learning and how the responses will be utilized
and displayed to allow for extended learning.
42. How can sharing responses support Learner Engagement, specifically Authentic Engagement and Student-to-Student
Interaction? Discuss how this might this look in the classroom.
Chapter 12: Keeping Learning Alive (89-90)
43. What is responsive teaching and how does this keep learning alive?
44. How do the children and teacher become models and respondents for each other?
45. How might responsive teaching support Responsibility for Learning and how might this look in the classroom?
Chapter 13: A Child’s View of Learning (91-92)
46. How does Nathan show his implementation of reading with, to, and by children?
47. When assessing students, how could you use Nathan’s “Greedy Cat” story as a Real Time Assessment to monitor his
learning progress and adjust instruction?
Closure
Now and Later! For your NEXT STEPS, LIST 5 (or more) strategies or ideas from the book that you would like to try with your
students. Label 2 of them “NOW.” These are your next steps. Label the remaining items “LATER.” Revisit your list after you
get started. Your next steps may have changed and you probably have a few more to add to the list.
Mooney, Margaret E. 1990. Reading To, With, and By Children. Katonah, NY. Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc.
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