ABSTRACT

By sharing her experience of preparing for and working with a group of fourth graders reading Patron’s award-winning book The Higher Power of Lucky, Schmidt makes clear that her theoretical beliefs about reading include much more than word decoding skills and superficial comprehension questions of the kind that so often drive the teaching of reading in scripted, leveled reading instruction. The children who read Lucky responded to the symbolism in the story, constructed new understandings through discussion, and demonstrated a depth of understanding and growth that clearly reflects Schmidt’s confidence in them to understand complex issues in stories.