How do you ensure you’re using literacy instruction effectively to meet the needs of all of your students? In this book from Diana and Betsy Sisson, you’ll learn an innovative approach to using the literacy block in a gradual release model that allows you to provide grade-appropriate teaching as well as meaningful, individualized instruction to close the academic gaps of struggling learners and offer accelerated experiences for advanced students. What’s Inside ·Part I of the book lays out the authors’ framework for the Core Block. ·Part II explains how to use the re-envisioned block to integrate the core components of word study, vocabulary development, strategic reading instruction, writers’ craft, and expanded reading opportunities,, ·Part III reveals how to use differentiation, project-based learning, and assessment to prepare students for new literacy demands. ·The appendix provides literacy block schedules, tools for phonics development and morphology study, and correlations to the Common Core. Each chapter includes practical tools and examples, as well as "In Action" boxes show how the ideas look in an authentic classroom.

How do you ensure you’re using literacy instruction effectively to meet the needs of all of your students? In this book from Diana and Betsy Sisson, you’ll learn an innovative approach to using the literacy block in a gradual release model that allows you to provide grade-appropriate teaching as well as meaningful, individualized instruction to close the academic gaps of struggling learners and offer accelerated experiences for advanced students. What’s Inside ·Part I of the book lays out the authors’ framework for the Core Block. ·Part II explains how to use the re-envisioned block to integrate the core components of word study, vocabulary development, strategic reading instruction, writers’ craft, and expanded reading opportunities,, ·Part III reveals how to use differentiation, project-based learning, and assessment to prepare students for new literacy demands. ·The appendix provides literacy block schedules, tools for phonics development and morphology study, and correlations to the Common Core. Each chapter includes practical tools and examples, as well as "In Action" boxes show how the ideas look in an authentic classroom.

Early Literacy Matters is an innovative action guide for elementary school leaders and instructional coaches dedicated to accelerating literacy performance in the early grades, when prevention of reading difficulties matters most. As a unique father-daughter team with combined expertise in literacy education and instructional leadership, the authors share best practices for literacy success. Readers will learn how to... establish and lead a literacy team, implement embedded professional development, utilize key assessments to frame daily instruction, and illustrate specific organizational and scheduling models needed to support systemic change based on the science of reading. Each chapter features reflection questions and explicit strategies and tools leaders can implement immediately in today’s classrooms.

Learn how to become a more effective literacy coach to ensure lasting changes in teaching and learning at your school. Literacy experts Diana and Betsy Sisson offer clear, research-based strategies that encourage professional development and growth. You’ll discover how to... Understand the various roles that a literacy coach plays, from "change agent" to "data analyst"; Determine which coaching model to use with your teachers; Support your classroom colleagues and raise student achievement; Tackle the literacy concerns present in today's schools, and any resistance from classroom teachers who don't want to be coached; Design a plan to promote growth centered on assessment and collaboration; and Manage the multi-faceted responsibilities of literacy coaching with practical strategies. Each chapter contains special features such as Coaching Moves and Coaching Questions to help you apply the information to your own situation. In addition, an Appendix offers photocopiable PD tools and study guide questions so you can discuss the ideas with others. With this practical book, you'll have all the guidance you need to overcome challenges and thrive in your coaching role.

Many literacy experts believe close reading has the power to create strong, independent readers, but what does that really mean, and how does it work in the classroom? This book is your must-have guide to getting started! It provides step-by-step strategies and scaffolds for teaching close reading and improving students’ comprehension of complex texts. You will learn how to teach close reading based on text type, how to accelerate learning through increasingly challenging texts in both print and digital media, how to use close reading as a springboard for close talks and close writes, and how to support your students to move forward confidently with a repertoire of tools to employ as they navigate complex text in their daily lives. Special Features: A clear explanation of what text complexity really means and how it varies by student An easy-to-use framework for creating a close reading lesson that builds student reading stamina Scaffolds to help students at all ability levels to do a close reading Close reading strategies for a variety of literary and informational genres Ideas for strengthening reading through targeting comprehension skills, including analyzing text structure and evaluating arguments Suggestions for helping students read with increasing levels of rigor Techniques for how to lessen student technology distractions and dig deeper into digital text Guidelines and procedures for close talks – purposeful, focused discussions about text Procedures for close writes that vary based on genre and student ability level Recommendations to ensure students have the close reading skills to be effective readers in and out of the classroom In addition, each chapter includes study guide questions to help you apply the ideas in the book to your own classroom. With this practical book, you will have all the tools you need to make close reading a reality!

Learn how to make vocabulary instruction more effective by making better use of mini-lessons and word study time to achieve durable learning about words and how they work. In this essential new book, literacy expert Amy Benjamin presents her 4E model (Exposure, Exploration, Engagement, Energy) for teaching vocabulary so that students gain deep understanding, improving their overall language and literacy skills. Benjamin guides you through bringing these 4Es to life in your K-8 reading-writing workshop. -Exposure: Enrich your teacher talk with sophisticated words and phrases to facilitate natural language acquisition and application of new words. -Exploration: Promote consistent vocabulary growth with a multifaceted instructional approach that incorporates etymology, word associations, word families, spelling, and morphology. -Engagement: Build students’ confidence by encouraging meaningful use of new words, both in and out of the classroom. -Energy: Enliven your workshop and increase participation with a variety of word games, puzzles, projects, and cooperative learning activities. Each chapter provides practical examples and scenarios to help you apply the model to your own classroom. The appendices include a variety of strategies for organizing reading-writing workshops, a thorough introduction to academic word lists and their role in vocabulary instruction, and an analysis of forty Latin and Greek word roots for mini-lessons.

This book presents one possible pathway towards the advancement of translanguaging pedagogies: teacher–researcher partnerships. Although the existing literature alludes to the value of such partnerships, there is a lack of research that explicitly describes the complex processes of designing and implementing translanguaging pedagogies in primary and secondary school settings (K-12) across various international contexts. Through an expanded focus on teacher–researcher collaboration and the negotiation process, the book unpacks the opportunities and challenges of engaging in contextualized translanguaging designs with reference to broader ideological discourses and systemic structures. By promoting and highlighting teacher–researcher partnerships as one avenue for improvement and transparency, the chapters in this book demonstrate the potential of translanguaging pedagogies in classrooms and further resist the linguistic hierarchies that exist in educational institutions today.