How many parents and classroom teachers have experienced the child who can read, often at an early age, but can't seem to grasp the meaning behind a sentence, or struggles to interpret story lines or the characters' perspectives or emotions?
Reading comprehension is more than decoding words. It depends less on language comprehension and more on a student's social thinking ability. Yet little has been written from this point of view. Until now. Author Audra Jensen brilliantly illuminates the synergistic relationship between social thinking and reading comprehension. Teachers, administrators, parents, and clinicians alike will appreciate her positive, practical approach to helping children learn to read for meaning.
Contents
- Discussion of the research available on reading comprehension and its relationship to social thinking
- An organized teaching approach called Book Chat that uses children's literature, often picture books, to teach social thinking and improve reading comprehension
- Teacher-tested strategies for in-classroom use, aligned with current educational standards
- Numerous examples of Book Chat literature, organized to teach specific Social Thinking® concepts
- IEP goal ideas and examples
Concepts Explored Through Specific Books and Strategies
- Boring Moments
- Body in the Group
- Smart and Wacky Guesses
- The Social Fake
- Social Wondering
- Superflex and the Unthinkables
- Thinking with Eyes
- Whopping Topic Change
Michelle Says: "Audra Jensen provides a motivating context through which students can explore, explain, and experience the messages implied in the books they read. I Get It! is a strong tool that encourages our students to take their time to learn more about social information."
About the Author
Audra Jensen, a certified Special Education teacher and a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst, got her start as a parent of a child with autism. She has since been interested in the field of reading comprehension and social thinking and how they are interlaced in students with social cognitive disorders. Audra now runs a clinic which provides behaviour analytic services and social thinking groups to students with autism and related disorders. She lives in Vancouver, WA with a doting husband, two kids, and two lovable canines.Authors: Audra Jensen
