I read Ch 13 Fluency and Automaticity, Ch 14 Spelling, and Ch 16 The Value of Reading More.
Ch 13 discussed automaticity and fluency and the struggles that impact disfluent readers like Mike and Sharamee.S trategies for improving reading rate and fluency were discussed as well as the importance of getting appropriately leveled texts into students hands so that they can practice. I also really enjoyed the section on prompting instead of correcting. Having these prompts at the ready will definitely have a positive impact on my teaching.
Ch 14 was about spelling and discussed something we all know, spelling is not explicitly taught after 3rd grade. But it should be! The chapter discussed the different stages students go through as they become more competent spellers and offered strategies to meet them at their level and increase their vocabulary and ability to spell. I particularly liked word sorts and having students notice the patterns and then apply them.
Ch 16 talked about the value of reading volume. What I loved about this chapter is how it directly addressed many of the failures of Drop Everything and Read programs and instead focused on independent reading time as a tool for the deliberate practice of skills. In other words, you give them something to practice as they read. I am a big proponent of this and will continue to structure my mini-lessons with these strategies in mind.