Based on the research of David Pearson and influenced by Stephanie Harvey, Reading Power provides students with the tools to become more thoughtful and meaningful readers as well as how to become “meta-cognitive” or aware of their thinking while they read. Developing a “common language of thinking” across grades is a key aspect to this approach, while teachers learn the importance of using this language in all aspects of their teaching.

Central to the program is authentic children’s literature specifically chosen to help teach and practice each of the five Reading Powers: connect, question, visualize, infer and transform. These books are used for modeling, guiding and supporting students, enabling them to successfully focus on the strategy and acquire a deeper understanding of their thinking.

Teachers across the province have found this practical approach to comprehension instruction easy to implement and the “layer” they can add to their current programs to enhance their students understanding of text.

It’s hard to believe but Reading Power is almost 10 years old! Since it’s release in 2006, Reading Power has evolved into a recognized approach to comprehension instruction being implemented across Canada, in the US, UK, Sweden, Australia, and China! In this edition Adrienne shares her new understanding about Reading Power strategies as they have evolved over the years, offers teachers new ideas, new lessons, and, of course, amazing new anchor books to support the reading power principles. An ideal resource for teachers familiar to this strategic approach to teaching reading, or for those looking for new ways to connect thinking with reading.

Attention Secondary Teachers! Here is the book you have been waiting for! As we are all aware, at any age or grade level, powerful readers are those who are aware of their thinking as they read. The assumption is that high school students don’t need to be taught how to read; but even if they are able to decode words and gain a literal understanding, many aren’t thinking deeply about the texts they are reading. Presenting a balance of theory and practical lesson, Powerful Readers demonstrates that explicit instruction in the key strategies of connecting, visualizing, questioning, inferring, determining importance and transforming can help students develop thinking skills to support their reading of both fiction and nonfiction. This valuable resource will guide middle and secondary teachers through practical, step-by-step lessons and provide connections to literary devices and reading lists for each strategy.

As a follow up to her successful Reading Power books which focus students on their "thinking" while they read, Adrienne Gear has developed Writing Power - a practical and thoughtful resource which supports students as they write to engage thinking. Teachers already familiar with Reading Power will find this an easy way to link up their reading instruction with their writing instruction. Using the same 5 thinking strategies, Connect, Question, Visualize, Infer and Transform, young writers will learn how to engage and invite their readers' thinking through their writing. This practical book will guide teachers through a series of lessons focusing on each of the strategies. A wide range of effective writing techniques are outlined and reinforced throughout the book, as well as suggested "anchor books" for each lesson. While Adrienne integrates both fundamentals of the writing process and the six traits throughout her book, she examines how developing an awareness of my readers' thinking can impact our ability to write more effectively. This book comes complete with scripted, sequential lessons, recommended anchor books, black lined masters and assessment rubrics. Writing Power will change the way you think about and teach writing in your classroom!

Exciting news! Nonfiction Writing Power is here! This follow-up to Writing Power is designed to help teachers develop a writing program that will enable their students to harness all of their Nonfiction Writing Powers: to Describe, to Instruct, to Compare, to Persuade, to Explain,and to Report. It illustrates ways to encourage students to write because they have something to say, and to recognize that writers of nonfiction need to consider intent, structure, form and language features. Ideal for teaching writing in the content areas, the book includes guidance on linking writing forms to Science, Social Studies, and other subject areas. As with her other books, Adrienne provides teachers with practicallessons, reproducible templates and a wide range of recommended anchor books to support your lessons.

In these challenging times, teaching children to think critically and reflectively and be compassionate, responsible and caring citizens is a tall order. Adrienne Gear's new book Powerful Understanding (Pembroke, 2018) explores effective ways to build social emotional skills and help students make connections, question what they read, and transform their thinking as they develop into stronger readers and learners. This book offers a starting point to help you integrate strategic and critical thinking to deepen student understanding. It introduces a model to use for exploring, interacting with, and reflecting on everything you teach—from social responsibility, to immigration, to life cycles. Transforming students' concept of self and understanding of others and the world around them is the main focus of this book. Like all of Adrienne's previous books, Powerful Understanding is filled with practical lessons, extensive book lists, and student samples. Ideal for new and experienced teachers, this remarkable book features the tools teachers need to help students think more deeply, learn more widely, and develop a more powerful understanding of what it means to be a responsible and compassionate person.