Rating: 
Summary: Too Much Mumbo Jumbo and Not Enough Practical Information.
Review: In the foreward of this book, published by one of the leading whole language publishers in the country, Donald Graves summarizes what MOSAIC OF THOUGHT is about: "Each chapter begins with texts...the authors apply various reading skills, from schema to synthesis, to enrich their own reading and quest for learning. The authors then take the same skill inside the classroom, where superior teachers show how they teach the skill with their children. We meet teachers and children in the process of learning to read and, above all, comprehend." And, I would add, boring the reader to death with layers of padding.MOSAIC OF THOUGHT is typical of the flaky writings published by Heinemann, but this one is much worse than most. The authors could have taken the key ideas and strategies from each chapter of the book as well as some of the appendices, added a couple of vignettes to illustrate the strategies, and turned in a reasonably effective piece for publication in reading journals. Unfortunately, the authors go on and on and on about their personal reflections over books or movies that they have read or seen while the reader frankly couldn't care less what the authors think of Omar Sharif or Ben Bradlee. I suppose the authors are trying to make their theories about reading comprehension and reader's workshop relevant to the unfortunate person who has to read this material for inservice, but they fail miserably. Furthermore, I suspect the reason the authors go on and on and on with these vignettes is to cover up the fact there isn't a whole lot of research out there to support their ideas. They keep writing "the research says" this or that, but there is very little in the way of citations to back up their claims. The bibliography is similarly scanty, with many of the books listed actually being trade books. As a teacher, if I want to read something about teaching reading, I want it to be practical, useful, and not least backed up by solid research and citations that I can look up for further reading. I have very little patience or time to read something that reads like a poor imitation of a dime store novel.
Rating:
Summary: Too Much Mumbo Jumbo and Not Enough Practical Information.
Review: In the foreward of this book, published by one of the leading whole language publishers in the country, Donald Graves summarizes what MOSAIC OF THOUGHT is about: "Each chapter begins with texts...the authors apply various reading skills, from schema to synthesis, to enrich their own reading and quest for learning. The authors then take the same skill inside the classroom, where superior teachers show how they teach the skill with their children. We meet teachers and children in the process of learning to read and, above all, comprehend." And, I would add, boring the reader to death with layers of padding. MOSAIC OF THOUGHT is typical of the flaky writings published by Heinemann, but this one is much worse than most. The authors could have taken the key ideas and strategies from each chapter of the book as well as some of the appendices, added a couple of vignettes to illustrate the strategies, and turned in a reasonably effective piece for publication in reading journals. Unfortunately, the authors go on and on and on about their personal reflections over books or movies that they have read or seen while the reader frankly couldn't care less what the authors think of Omar Sharif or Ben Bradlee. I suppose the authors are trying to make their theories about reading comprehension and reader's workshop relevant to the unfortunate person who has to read this material for inservice, but they fail miserably. Furthermore, I suspect the reason the authors go on and on and on with these vignettes is to cover up the fact there isn't a whole lot of research out there to support their ideas. They keep writing "the research says" this or that, but there is very little in the way of citations to back up their claims. The bibliography is similarly scanty, with many of the books listed actually being trade books. As a teacher, if I want to read something about teaching reading, I want it to be practical, useful, and not least backed up by solid research and citations that I can look up for further reading. I have very little patience or time to read something that reads like a poor imitation of a dime store novel.
Rating:
Summary: Get me some headache medicine
Review: Is there a version of this book for those who are of average intelligence? Short, sweet, and to the point would sure help. Reading that book would give the "average" person a migrane! Trying to decifer all that excess mumbo jumbo is ridiculous! I sure pity anyone out there who has to read and actually TRY to understand the meaning of this book. Unfortunately some of my fellow co-workers have to read this book and do a lot of writing about it. We have the NCLB Act to thank for that. Anyone who can read and understand that book well enough to actually write about it, sure is highly qualified in my book!
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent addition to your professional library!!
Review: Mosaic of Thought redefines teaching reading comprehension in a workshop approach. Teaching comprehension as a strategic process enables readers to make connections and move beyond literal recall. The simplistic nature of the teaching process and the realistic ideas from classroom teachers makes Mosaic a wonderful tool for any teacher. I could not put this book down, nor could I stop myself from recommending it to everyone I know! We started a book club at my school to immerse ourselves in Mosaic and apply the strategies in our teaching. It has been a very exciting process!
Rating:
Summary: Missing Piece
Review: Reading is process in which the learner uses skills and strategies to gain an understanding from that which is read (as opposed to being a mere word caller). It is a cognitive process that needs to be taught to children in a very concrete manner. The authors did a fine job using authentic scenarios in which a teacher modeled reading comprehension stategies in her classroom. Mosaic of Thought was first introduced to me as a part of my gradutate coursework. However, upon reading it, missing pieces in my own instruction were revealed, and I have since used the strategies presented to help intervene with struggling readers. In addition, my district and school use Mosaic of Thought to guide our curricular planning. A must-read and "keeper" for the personal library of all teachers of reading.
Rating:
Summary: Missing Piece
Review: Reading is process in which the learner uses skills and strategies to gain an understanding from that which is read (as opposed to being a mere word caller). It is a cognitive process that needs to be taught to children in a very concrete manner. The authors did a fine job using authentic scenarios in which a teacher modeled reading comprehension stategies in her classroom. Mosaic of Thought was first introduced to me as a part of my gradutate coursework. However, upon reading it, missing pieces in my own instruction were revealed, and I have since used the strategies presented to help intervene with struggling readers. In addition, my district and school use Mosaic of Thought to guide our curricular planning. A must-read and "keeper" for the personal library of all teachers of reading.
Rating:
Summary: If you teach, work with, or have children, own this book!
Review: The style of this book is different than any I have read before. However, it has put into writing the ideas I have come to believe about the high-level processes involved in truly reading and learning to read. I have personally bought copies of this book for the six new teachers at my school and as a team, we are discussing and synthesizing all of the information shared in Mosaic. I CAN NOT explain the depth of the joy of teaching, feelings of empowerment as an advocate for student thinking, and enthusiasm for learning these young teachers are demonstrating since we began! Other teachers are so very curious; even our kindergarten students are responding with high level connections and thinking! As a parent of teenagers, I wish I had known the ideas shared in this book to have been able to develop the depth of thinking in my own children's reading as they have grown up. Teachers, student teachers, administrators, and parents--You should OWN this book and read it! You will not forget or regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read guide for teaching comprehension
Review: This book focuses on teaching children of elementary grade reading comprehension. But does one really teach comprehension? And how? What one does, as a teacher, is to examine one's thinking processes as one attempts to make sense of text. So this book sets out to show how the teachers or the authors model their thinking processes to their children. The children learn to make connections, extract the essence, question, image, infer, synthesize and fix comprehension loopholes by just doing it during authentic reading.
For those who are used to the first-A-then-B way of teaching language, maybe it's time to look beyond the skill-and-drill approach. Look no further than Mosaic of Thought.
Rating:
Summary: The Missing Link to Teaching Reading Comprehension
Review: This book is the missing link that teachers have been looking for! This book fills that gap that has existed between teachers knowing what skills a student needs to comprehend the text and how we as teachers can teach those skills. In the past teaching reading comprehension seemed a mystery. Teachers would include all of the correct ingredients and hope that something would click in the students' minds and like magic they would comprehend. Well, this book finally tells us what that magic is. It is metacognition. And when you read this book, you will realize immediately its importance. It was like being hit by a bolt of lightning--that had me asking, "Of course! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?" A bolt that has me glued to the pages. A bolt that has me running to school filled with enthusiasm and new ideas to try in the classroom. And these new techniques really work! A bolt that has me so excited that I can't stop talking about this book. A bolt that has me walking into the classroom with a new sense of confidence about my ability to teach reading. I am using the book and teaching meatacognition to elementary students. The rubrics at the back of the book are wonderful, too. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening - Well Written - A Must Have!
Review: This book opened my mind to the essence of reading. The way the authors share their thinking process while reading was a model we should provide to our students. They back up their thinking with real life examples and an in-depth discussion of each comprehension topic. This book was recommended by a friend out here in Las Vegas. It has helped me immensely in starting readers workshop in my own classroom. If you are the type of teacher who is interested in building life long readers and you want your students (along with yourself) to truely learn what reading is then I recommend this book to you.
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