COMPREHENSION: THE SKILL, WILL, AND THRILL OF READING
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey are the authors of many of my favourite books about teaching literacy. They are the authors of many of the “Visible Learning” books (with co-author John Hattie). In my opinion, their book “Developing Assessment Capable Visible Learners K-12” is one of the best books written about formative assessment and feedback. The reason I enjoy their books so much is that they mesh the research with practicality. Plus, they always challenge and expand my thinking!
Their latest book, Comprehension: The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading (with co-author Nancy Law), is no exception.
In this book, the authors lay out their case for why reading instruction needs to move beyond teaching the skills of reading – to also include the explicit teaching of the will and thrill of reading comprehension.
If you are a teacher of literacy who is looking for ideas on how to…

…get students excited about reading.
…teach critical literacy.
…increase student talk.
…have students question any text they are reading.
…encourage students to take action through reading and understanding.
I would highly encourage you to read this book!
Fisher, Frey and Law’s research-based ideas about cultivating the thrill of reading in our students rests with them being able to answer one simple question:
“What does this text inspire me to do?”
Well, I pondered this question and was inspired to write this review!
Learn more about Fisher and Frey here.
Here, Nancy Frey is speaking about reading comprehension at the South Australia Literacy Conference in February 2020:
If you are interested in more resources about teaching reading and viewing, may I also encourage you to check out the ASD-W Margin Notes Literacy K-12 SharePoint – Reading/Viewing Page.
Happy learning!