No More Random Acts of Literacy Coaching


Book Description

"In this book, Erin Brown (coach) and Susan L'Allier (researcher) help teachers and coaches work together to improve literacy learning outcomes for students. Unlike other coaching books, this book encourages the teacher to participate in the coaching relationship from a position of authority, not from a punitive or deficit perspective. This is not about teacher evaluation but about teacher growth"--




The Literacy Coaching Handbook


Book Description

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.




Reading Assessment in an RTI Framework


Book Description

From leading experts, this indispensable resource presents a practical model for conducting reading assessments for screening, diagnosis, and progress monitoring in each of the three tiers of response to intervention (RTI). K-8 teachers and school personnel are guided to use norm-referenced, informal, and curriculum-based measures to assess key components of reading development and make informed choices about instruction. The book describes how to survey existing assessment practices in a school and craft a systematic plan for improvement; reproducible tools include a 10-page RTI Assessment Audit that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. See also Assessment for Reading Instruction, Third Edition, which explains the fundamentals of assessment and provides essential hands-on tools.




Not Light, But Fire


Book Description

Do you feel prepared to initiate and facilitate meaningful, productive dialogues about race in your classroom? Are you looking for practical strategies to engage with your students? Inspired by Frederick Douglass's abolitionist call to action, "it is not light that is needed, but fire" Matthew Kay has spent his career learning how to lead students through the most difficult race conversations. Kay not only makes the case that high school classrooms are one of the best places to have those conversations, but he also offers a method for getting them right, providing candid guidance on: How to recognize the difference between meaningful and inconsequential race conversations. How to build conversational "safe spaces," not merely declare them. How to infuse race conversations with urgency and purpose. How to thrive in the face of unexpected challenges. How administrators might equip teachers to thoughtfully engage in these conversations. With the right blend of reflection and humility, Kay asserts, teachers can make school one of the best venues for young people to discuss race.




RTI in Literacy


Book Description

"[Book title] adopts a preventive--or responsive--stance on RTI, offering a critical analysis of problematic current practices along with clear examples and logic for more appropriate practices. By focusing on quality instructional practices instead of measurement identification, you will learn how your school can truly capitalize on the promise of RTI in literacy."--Back cover.




No More Independent Reading Without Support


Book Description

We know children learn to read by reading. Is independent reading valuable enough to use precious classroom minutes on? Yes, writes Debbie Miller and Barbara Moss, but only if that time is purposeful.DEAR and SSR aren't enough. Research shows that independent reading must be accompanied by intentional instruction and conferring. Debbie and Barbara clear a path for you to take informed action that makes a big difference, with: -a rationale for independent reading that's worth finding the time for -research evidence on its effectiveness and instructional best practices -a framework with 10 teaching tactics for starting and sustaining success."When we set children loose day after day with no focus or support, it can lead to fake reading and disengagement," write Debbie and Barbara. "It's our job to equip children with the tools they need when we're not there." Read No More Independent Reading Without Support and find out how.




How to Prevent Reading Difficulties, Grades PreK-3


Book Description

The science of reading meets the art of teaching readers Do you have the knowledge and instructional ability to effectively teach foundational skills and to support students who show signs of reading difficulties? It is a tall order — and one that challenges many new and veteran teachers. How to Prevent Reading Difficulties, Grades PreK-3 builds on decades of evidence and years of experience to help teachers understand how the brain learns to read and how to apply that understanding to Tier 1 instruction. The book includes: step-by-step descriptions of techniques for effectively teaching phonological awareness, spelling, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension specific Tier 1 activities, routines, and frameworks that build and strengthen word recognition and language comprehension links to video demonstrations and online resources clear, practical explanations of the science of reading, including the Eternal Triangle and the Simple View of Reading, to help teachers understand the fundamentals of the reading process, recognize how difficulties arise – and understand how to address them A book study guide is available on the Free Resources tab to provides group guidance on how to effectively teach foundational skills and to support students who show signs of reading difficulties. Author Mark Weakland brings new energy to teaching high-priority foundational skills. By blending the science of reading with the best instructional practices that lead to authentic reading—the ultimate goal of balanced literacy—teachers can prevent many reading difficulties in K-3 learners.




Assessment Literacy


Book Description

This clear, no-nonsense book guides current and future teachers through the concepts, tools, methods, and goals of classroom literacy assessment. The expert authors examine the roles of formative, summative, and benchmark assessments; demystify state and national tests and standards; and show how assessment can seamlessly inform instruction. Strategies for evaluating, choosing, and interpreting assessments are discussed, as are ways to communicate data to parents and administrators. User-friendly resources include boxed vignettes from teachers and researchers, practical assessment tips (and traps to avoid), and 12 reproducible planning forms and handouts. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.




No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching


Book Description

Every child is a cultural being with a unique history and rich cultural practices; a member of communities in and outside of school. Yet too many children spend their days inside classrooms where they rarely find their voices, values, and cultural practices reflected in curriculum materials, much less embraced and celebrated through instructional practices. Culturally relevant teaching is essential, now more than ever. If we want children to develop as successful learners, we must communicate that they belong in our classrooms. They need to see themselves, their cultures, their families, and their communities reflected in the materials and resources they find there. Culturally relevant teachers honor students' identities by positioning them at the center of teaching and learning. Each and every day, they make sure children and their families feel that they belong in school. They include multiple perspectives and points of view in the curriculum. In this book, four teachers who teach in richly diverse classrooms and have studied culturally relevant pedagogy for years with researcher Mariana Souto-Manning, share specific practices, strategies, and tools that make their teaching culturally relevant. Join the authors of No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching and show your students that their lives do matter...in teaching, in learning, and in society.




No More Reading Instruction Without Differentiation


Book Description

"The research is compelling: when teachers differentiate reading instruction, students learn more. But teachers are too often given the expectation of differentiation without the details on how to make it work. In No More Reading Instruction Without Differentiation, Debra Peterson and Lynn Bigelman offer an instructional framework that adapts instruction based on individual students needs and interests. Peterson unpacks the research that supports differentiated instruction. Then veteran school principal Bigelman shows how to implement differentiation using: Learning targets and performance tasks; student self-assessment; project-based learning; individual learning goals. Differentiation doesn't mean creating separate lesson plans for each student every day. Differentiation is responsive teaching that identifies what each student knows and can do and what can happen next to move that student forward in her learning. In this book, you'll find the tools and strategies to better meet the needs of the children in your classroom right now."--Publisher's description.