Just reading.

In preparation for a new schoolyear or a new semester, I am always reflecting on what I have done in the past and what I might be able to do better!  To this end, I revisit the texts I have used and consider what new texts I might use.  For my grad school teaching, I can sometimes get texts to "review" and consider for adoption but often I end up buying a text in order to get it more quickly or because I have already used up my "freebie" allotment from publishers!  I always find sometime new or interesting in my professional reading even if the text I am reviewing / reading is not goign to work for the course I am teaching!  This was the case with a VERY interesting book I just finished: Differentiating Reading Instruction (Laura Robb).
Differentiating has become a bit of a "buzz concept" in schools during the past few years and strategies to move teaching away from teacher centered instruction and more towards student centered learning are clearly described in this texts.  What I liked most about the book is the way Robb describes assessment driven individualized and small group reading coupled with reader responses as essential parts of classrooms where all students learn to be readers.
I will definitely use her assessments and some of her strategies next year with my own students! 

http://www.amazon.com/Differentiating-Reading-Instruction-Teach-Student/dp/0545022983#_