Before children are readers and writers, they are speakers and listeners. This book provides creative, hands-on strategies for developing preschoolers' speaking, listening, and oral comprehension skills, within a literacy-rich classroom environment. Each chapter features helpful classroom vignettes; a section called Preschool in Practice, with step-by-step lesson ideas; and Ideas for Discussion, Reflection, and Action. The book addresses the needs of English language learners and describes ways to support students' literacy development at home. The final chapter pulls it all together through a portrait of an exemplary day of preschool teaching and learning. Reproducible forms and checklists can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Conversing with others has given insights to different perspectives, helped build ideas, and solve problems. Academic conversations push students to think and learn in lasting ways. Academic conversations are back-and-forth dialogues in which students focus on a topic and explore it by building, challenging, and negotiating relevant ideas. In Academic Conversations: Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings authors Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford address the challenges teachers face when trying to bring thoughtful, respectful, and focused conversations into the classroom. They identify five core communications skills needed to help students hold productive academic conversation across content areas: Elaborating and Clarifying Supporting Ideas with Evidence Building On and/or Challenging Ideas Paraphrasing Synthesizing This book shows teachers how to weave the cultivation of academic conversation skills and conversations into current teaching approaches. More specifically, it describes how to use conversations to build the following: Academic vocabulary and grammar Critical thinking skills such as persuasion, interpretation, consideration of multiple perspectives, evaluation, and application Literacy skills such as questioning, predicting, connecting to prior knowledge, and summarizing An academic classroom environment brimming with respect for others' ideas, equity of voice, engagement, and mutual support The ideas in this book stem from many hours of classroom practice, research, and video analysis across grade levels and content areas. Readers will find numerous practical activities for working on each conversation skill, crafting conversation-worthy tasks, and using conversations to teach and assess. Academic Conversations offers an in-depth approach to helping students develop into the future parents, teachers, and leaders who will collaborate to build a better world.

This authoritative guide for ensuring all students are able to achieve high standards is an essential resource for educators in any school with English learners. It provides practical help for designing and implementing effective RTI programs using the SIOP® Model, and ensuring the appropriate type of instruction that English leaners need and deserve. Response to Intervention (RTI) and English Learners, 2/e includes important background information on RTI; examines the academic and linguistic challenges that English learners face; and covers appropriate and effective multi-tier instruction, assessment, and intervention with RTI, specifically for English learners. The authors include recommendations for implementing the eight components of the SIOP® Model for Tier 1 within an RTI framework, and additional suggestions for implementing RTI in secondary schools. The new, Second Edition features: A reorganized chapter on intervention (Ch. 5) shows the continuum of services between Tiers 2 and 3, and discusses reasons for increasing intensity of services. A new Chapter 3 on How to Distinguish Disability from Language Difference. A revised chapter on Special Considerations for Secondary English Learners, reflecting changes in practice and research related to RTI in the secondary grades. One or more references to PDToolkit are included in each chapter, allowing readers to access videos and documents related to the chapter content, and bring the material and concepts alive. The documents are downloadable. Half of the From the Field interviews are new to this edition.

How can teachers provide effective instruction for students with learning disabilities while meeting the needs of all students? The second edition of this accessible text gives K-12 educators research-based answers, straight from two highly respected voices in the field. The first teacher training text to cover all four learning disabilities that require differentiated instruction, dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and oral and written language learning disability (OWL LD), this book prepares educators to deliver explicit and engaging instruction customized to the needs of their students.

An intelligibility-based approach to teaching that presents pronunciation as critical, yet neglected, in communicative language teaching.