by Jen Donovan

The International Reading Association is proud to announce the publication of three new books this spring: Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp; Best Ever Literacy Survival Tips: 72 Lessons You Can’t Teach Without by Lori D. Oczkus; and Guided Comprehension for English Learners by Maureen McLaughlin. All three titles will be for sale in the IRA Bookstore (Booth 2247) at the 57th Annual IRA Convention in Chicago, where the authors will hold book signings. Visit / for information about the Annual Convention and the author signings, to view sample contents and chapters, or to order these must-have resources.

Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading
by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp

The Common Core State Standards place an emphasis on teaching students to read and understand increasingly complex texts. That teaching requires more than just assigning students hard books and hoping they get better at reading. Teaching starts with a deep understanding about what makes text complex. In this book, Fisher, Frey, and Lapp explain the quantitative and qualitative factors of text complexity as well as the ways in which readers can be matched with texts and tasks. The book focuses on instruction and assessment of complex texts through close readings and extensive discussions. With this understanding, lessons can be developed that ensure students are prepared for the wide range of reading and writing they will do for the rest of their lives. Preview a sample chapter at /TextComplexity.

Best Ever Literacy Survival Tips: 72 Lessons You Can’t Teach Without
by Lori D. Oczkus

Lori D. Oczkus is a literacy coach, an author, and a motivational speaker across the United States. Her latest book, Best Ever Literacy Survival Tips: 72 Lessons You Can’t Teach Without, includes 12 chapters on the hottest literacy topics such independent reading, grouping strategies, formative assessments, nonfiction, fl uency, and comprehension. Each chapter features research-based guidelines, classroom examples, and Lori’s Top 5 Surefire Strategies for motivating elementary and middle school learners. Preview a sample chapter at /BestEver.

Guided Comprehension for English Learners
by Maureen McLaughlin 

With this new volume, Maureen McLaughlin expands her Guided Comprehension Model to help improve the comprehension of English learners in grades 3–8. There are 12 new theme-based lessons for teaching English learners using the Model, plus teacher commentaries, think-alouds, planning forms and reproducibles, and lists of related resources, such as trade books in multiple languages and helpful websites. This volume contains connections to the benchmark WIDA Standards, the TESOL Standards, and the Common Core State Standards. Preview a sample chapter at /GCEnglishLearners.

IRA members receive a 20% discount on book purchases. Learn about these books, and many more professional development books, at /books. 

Jen Donovan is the strategic communications department intern at the International Reading Association.