I am happy to announce that my newest book for reading coaches, Coaching the Threads of Reading: Strategies for Teacher Success is now available. This book goes beyond the usual tips found in most literacy coaching books on how to set up a coaching schedule, build rapport and work with teachers. The book discusses the actual instructional skills and strategies that teachers need to help students of all age levels develop into strong and efficient readers. It offers specific chapters for working with K-3 primary grades, 4-8 intermediate grades and 9-12 high school content reading. Purchase orders may be sent to Southwest Training Development, 20118 North 67th Avenue, Suite 300-159, Glendale, Arizona 85308. 

Special Note: It has come to my attention that CreateSpace, the printing service for my latest book, mistakenly loaded an incorrect manuscript for the printing of the first 5 copies of my book. This book had many typos and printing errors such as the substitution of the word "coachee" for the word "coaches" and other errors. This has since been corrected. If you received a book containing the errors described, please return it to either Amazon.com or CreateSpace at the address on your receipt and they will replace it with a properly edited copy of the book. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Effective teachers of reading have a wide array of strategies which they use to build strong readers.  From the time children begin to imitate the sounds they hear in their environment, we are preparing students to be effective and thoughtful readers and thinkers. Clay (1991) says that reading is a “message-getting, problem-solving activity which increases in power and flexibility the more it is practiced.” Rosenblatt (1978) points out that “the reader brings to the text his past experience and his personality.” Both point out the interconnection between the reader and the text as an essential ingredient to making meaning. Reading is unlocking an author’s message by interpreting the symbols on the page, the author’s intent and combining it with the reader’s own background knowledge.  Great teachers understand this and use strategies like those contained on this site and in my books to help their students build strong threads of reading.

I hope you will find many helpful ideas and strategies on the pages of this website that will help you strengthen your own abilities to weave reading magic with the students you serve. Please check the growing tips and strategies on the Weaver's Blog and feel free to ask questions and leave your own tips and ideas.