Table of Contents

Foreword by David R. Olson
Preface
About This Book
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. What is Unison Reading? The Method
Unison Reading: A Pedagogical Revolution
The Unison Reading Method
The Unison Reading Record
Children′s Self-Responsibility and Accountability
Getting Started With Unison Reading
Conclusion: "Chew Food Taste Better"
2. Unison Reading as a Program of Instruction: Classroom Implementation
Unison Reading: Principles for Practice
Classroom Implementation
Summarizing Procedures for Implementation
Conclusion: The Paradox of Rules
3. Distinctions and Differences: How Unison Reading Breaks the Mold
The Aims of Reading
Group Reading Instruction: Traditions and Conventions
Redefining Reading Instruction: Unison Reading as a New Space for Learning
An Examination of Unison Reading Principles
A Pedagogy for Reading
4. "A Seat at the Table": How Unison Reading Supports Every Child
Raising Strong Readers From the Start: Unison Reading in Kindergarten and First Grade
Unison Reading in Content Areas: Maximizing Learning in Middle School
English Language Learners and the Pull of a "Cool" Text
Re-Engaging Reluctant and Avoidant Adolescent Readers
Re-Entry: Mainstreaming Students With Special Needs Into the General Education Classroom
Unison Reading Is Good for Everybody: The Advantages of Diverse Learning Groups
"Unison Reading Makes Teachers Reading Teachers": What We Ourselves Can Learn at the Table
5. Conclusion: Unison Reading as Consciousness Raising
A Concluding Story: Unison Reading at the Jacob Riis School Conclusion
Conclusion
Afterword by Edmund W. Gordon
Appendix A. Forms
Appendix B. Forms
References
Index

About the Author

Cynthia McCallister is the creator of Unison Reading, a method for group reading instruction that conceives of reading first and foremost as a form of social activity through which particular skills and competencies develop. Cynthia developed Unison Reading over two decades in her roles as a teacher-practitioner and a scholar. During her early professional life as a teacher of young children, Cynthia became intrigued by how readily children mastered reading and writing in the context of activities that made literacy engaging and playful. And throughout her experiences as a mother of three children in New York City public schools, a K-5 teacher (in rural Maine and New York City), a teacher educator, staff developer, and school reformer with extensive involvement in a wide range of culturally- and linguistically-diverse Pre-K-8 schools, Cynthia has come to understand that learning for every child depends on engagement, curiosity, a personal commitment to the objects of learning, and an opportunity to acquire new ideas in the company of others.

Cynthia is Associate Professor at New York University where she is founding Director of the program in Literacy Education. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Maine in 1995.

Reviews

"This book’s strong research base, as well as the knowledge that a school can use this method with success, speaks volumes to the success rate of using Unison Reading."
*Dolores M. Hennessy, Reading Specialist*

"This book offers the promise of an effective approach to reading instruction based on sound theory and substantial research. It is a powerful antidote to the hyper-focus on low level reading skills."
*Curt Dudley-Marling, Professor*

“Cynthia McCallister reminds us to stop labeling children and to begin listening to them and learning from them. Above all, the author highlights the importance of camaraderie, respect and support as children learn to read in the company of their peers.”
*Shelley Harwayne, Author and Educational Consultant*

"As the principal who collaborated with McCallister to pilot the implementation of Unison Reading on a PK-8 schoolwide basis, I have witnessed firsthand its true power to dramatically raise reading achievement. Growth of students in all grades outpaced the national norm, and our lowest performing students′ achievement rates have been even more dramatic. Unison Reading, if brought to a larger scale, can close the achievement gap.”
*Kerry Rutishauser, Principal*

“Cynthia McCallister’s Unison Reading boldly proposes and shows how to achieve a deep change of theory and practice in the acquisition and development of reading. It promises to live up to its subtitle and build socially inclusive classrooms producing equity and achievement. And, most exciting of all, this uncommon sense approach will banish boredom and bring joy and excitement back to the reading class."
*John S. Mayher, Professor Emeritus*

“Unison Reading enables educators to deliver the kind of attention to individual performance that is normally only attained through one-on-one instruction. As a science education researcher I′ve used Unison Reading to hear students co-construct and talk about scientific words, claims, and evidence and found it to be a powerful tool to design transformative instruction.”
*Susan Kirch, Associate Professor, Science Education*

“McCallister and her colleagues in schools have spawned an enormously generative idea that creates a lively and inclusive learning environment. This approach provides a remarkable opportunity for teachers who want a very rich context for observing students′ comprehension and interests."
*Susan Lytle, Professor of Education*

“McCallister has developed one of the most exciting and important educational innovations I have ever seen. In an era where schools are forced into a Faustian choice between time spent on academic skills and time spent on social, moral, and character development, along comes this theoretical and practical breath of fresh air, which elegantly does it all at the same time. This book should be read by anyone interested in improving education.”
*Joshua Aronson, Associate Professor and Editor of Improving Academic Achievement: Impact of Psychological Factors on Education*

“Thank you, Cynthia McCallister, for this remarkable contribution to practices of collaborative learning. The concept of Unison Reading reminds us that learning is fundamentally a social process. Most helpfully, we are introduced to the fine details of how this process can increase motivation, attention, mutually supportive relationships, and reading mastery. I am very impressed, and we should all be grateful.”
*Kenneth J. Gergen, Senior Research Professor and Author*

"This could be the most innovative approach to reading instruction I′ve come across in the last 20 years. It has the potential to transform classroom practice, enabling students to meet the highest quality standards of reading instruction. A must-read."
*Susan B. Neuman, Professor and former Assistant Secretary of Education*