Essential Comprehension Strategies for the Intermediate Grades

Jerry Johns

Jerry L. Johns, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University, served as president of International Reading Association during 2002-2003. He has been recognized as a distinguished professor, writer, and outstanding teacher educator. He taught students from kindergarten through college and now serves as a consultant and speaker to schools and professional organizations.

Jerry is a past president of Illinois Reading Council, College Reading Association, and Northern Illinois Reading Council. He has received recognition for outstanding service to each of these professional organizations and is a member of the Illinois Reading Council Hall of Fame. Jerry has served on numerous committees of the International Reading Association and was a member of the Board of Directors. He has also received the Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading award from the International Reading Association, the Champion of Children Award from the HOSTS corporation, and the Laureate Award from the College Reading Association (CRA) for significant contributions to CRA and the field of reading and reading instruction.

Jerry has been invited to consult, conduct workshops, and make presentations for teachers and professional groups throughout the United States and in seven countries. He has also prepared over twenty books and related resources that have been useful to a diverse group of educators. His Basic Reading Inventory is widely used in undergraduate and graduate classes, as well as by practicing teachers. Jerry recently coauthored the fourth edition of Improving Reading: Strategies and Resources. Other recent titles include the third edition of Fluency: Strategies & Assessments, Comprehension and Vocabulary Strategies for the Elementary Grades, Reading and Learning Strategies: Middle Grades through High School, and Strategies for Content Area Learning, and Visualization: Using Mental Images to Strengthen Comprehension.

Susan Lenski

Susan Davis Lenski is a Professor at Portland State University (PSU) in Oregon.  Before joining the faculty at PSU, Dr. Lenski taught in public schools for 20 years and at Illinois State University for 11 years. Her teaching experiences include working with children from kindergarten through high school. Dr. Lenski currently teaches graduate reading and language arts courses.

Dr. Lenski has been recognized by several organizations for her commitment to education. Among her numerous awards, are the Nila Banton Smith Award from the International Reading Association; she was instrumental in her school receiving an Exemplary Reading program Award from the International Reading Association; and she was inducted into the Illinois Reading Hall of Fame. She is currently on the International Reading Association's Board of Directors.

Dr. Lenski's research interests focus on strategic reading and writing and adolescent literacy. She also conducts research on preparing teacher candidates. Dr. Lenski has conducted numerous inservice presentations in the United States, Canada, Guatemala, the Philippines, and Panama and has presented at many state and national conferences. Dr. Lenski has published more than 60 articles and twelve books.

Roberta L. Berglund

Roberta L. Berglund

Roberta L. (Bobbi) Berglund has had a long and distinguished career in education. Her public school experience spans more than twenty years and includes serving as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, Title 1 Director, and district curriculum administrator. Dr. Berglund has been a member of the reading faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has also taught graduate reading courses at Northern Illinois University, Rockford College, National-Louis University, and Aurora University. Currently Dr. Berglund is a consultant in the area of reading and language arts, working with school districts and regional offices of education in developing curriculum and assessments, conducting professional development, and guiding the selection of instructional materials for reading, spelling, writing, and related areas.

Dr. Berglund has received honors for outstanding services to several organizations and has been selected as a member of the Illinois Reading Council Hall of Fame. She also was honored with the Those Who Excel Award from the Illinois State Board of Education.  She has served on several committees of the International Reading Association, including the program committee for the Annual Convention and the World Congress, and was chair of the Publications Committee.

Dr. Berglund has conducted numerous workshops and has been invited to make presentations at state, national, and international conferences. She is the author of over fifty publications and is the coauthor of several professional books.