This book contains hundreds of tools presented in a step-by-step format to build a productive organized classroom. Save time with these tools.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

Organization starts right here with this book. This book is presented in a format for setting up your own binder or binders with the contents presented. This book then becomes a model for your own future binders. Following the steps outlined below, you will learn how to develop binders that work for you.

Make the most of every instructional minute with engaging literacy activities Time—or lack thereof—may be the most precious commodity in the classroom. From covering all the necessary curriculum and imparting life skills to attending meetings and answering emails, educators are faced with real challenges when there never seems to be enough time to do it all. Although teachers don’t have the power to create more minutes in the school day, they do have the power to be effective and efficient with the time given. Molly Ness asks teachers first to examine their use of time in the classroom in order to make more space for literacy. She then introduces 40 innovative activities designed to replace seatwork. These literacy-rich alternatives for classroom transitions are presented alongside Research on instructional time in K–5 classrooms Strategies for how to maximize every minute of instruction Suggestions for improving efficiency to expand independent reading and writing time Reflective practices to help teachers examine how they use the time they have The instructional day is ripe for redesign with a thoughtful and authentic time audit. Every Minute Matters guides educators through that process by outlining literacy-rich activities to optimize transitional times and minimize lost instructional minutes.

Target the Math...Support the Students...Provide Access for All The need for focused small group math instruction has never been greater. Today’s education landscape is fraught with learning divides unlike anything we’ve faced in recent years. We need new ways of teaching students who have remarkably varying levels of understanding and vastly different needs. Meaningful Small Groups in Math, Grades K-5 offers practical guidance on how to meet the diverse needs of today’s students. Written for K-5 classroom teachers, math interventionists and instructional coaches, this user-friendly, accessible book provides guidance on the necessary components of small group instruction in math, trajectories for small-group instruction on specific concepts, and practical steps for getting started. Readers will find Checklists and templates for implementing small group, sample lessons in the major content domains Emphasis on flexible groups Intervention and extension ideas for differentiating learning A chapter devoted to developing small-group programs across a school or organization Small group instruction in mathematics has not been as well-developed as its counterpart in the reading world. In K-5 math classrooms, small-group instruction has typically been reduced to learning centers and rotation stations, with little emphasis on differentiated, small-group, teacher-facilitated learning. To meet the needs of today’s students, a more focused approach is needed.

The strategies you need to teach common standards to diverse learners Realistic and thorough, this teacher-friendly book shows how to help every student, including English Learners, students with disabilities, speakers of nonstandard English, and other struggling learners, meet the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts (ELA). This resource: Familiarizes readers with each of the Common Core's 32 anchor standards for ELA Outlines the specific skills students need to fulfill each standard Presents a wealth of flexible teaching strategies and tools that build those skills Includes guidance on professional collaboration and co-teaching

"Reading well across disciplines and within varied contexts will help students to be versatile, flexible, deep readers who can better learn from their reading, transfer skills across subjects, and use strategies to meet the unique demands of reading in each content area." – Jennifer Serravallo Research-based, easy-to-use lesson structures for explicit and engaging teaching In Teaching Reading Across the Day, literacy expert Jennifer Serravallo provides nine effective, predictable, research-based lesson structures that help busy teachers save planning time and focus their teaching—and student attention—on content rather than procedures. Each of the nine lesson structures (read aloud, phonics and spelling, vocabulary, focus, shared reading, close reading, guided inquiry, reader’s theater, and conversation) has its own chapter and features a wealth of resources that let you see the lessons in action in ELA, Science, and Social Studies classes, including: An annotated teaching vignette, lesson explanation, and research notes Tips for planning, structure and timing suggestions, and ideas for responsive teaching Detailed planning templates and 22 accompanying online videos covering over 3 hours of classroom footage Jen’s reflections, key look-fors, and ideas for next steps The nine lesson structures can be used with any curriculum or core program, text, and subject, making it easier for teachers to maximize explicit and engaging teaching time across the day, and simplify planning and preparation. Jen incorporates a wide range of compelling research about how best to teach reading to every student in your class and translates the research (or the science of teaching reading) into high-leverage moves you can count on to deliver powerful lessons again and again. She also honors the art of teaching reading, helping teachers tap into their experience and hone their expertise to make quick, effective classroom decisions that take student learning to the next level.