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Email: jenny@erinkentconsulting.com

Linked In: Jenny Killion

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Winner of a silver medal from the Nautilus Book Awards in the category of Social Sciences and Education

"Is it possible to create a more inclusive and fairer education system? The Knowledge Gap shows the way." Daisy Christodoulou, tes.

"The Knowledge Gap is not just a scholarly work. It pulsates with vivid detail as it winds its way through the strange terrain of the Educational Upside Down. Anyone who seeks to understand the quixotic state of educational ideas in American schools and beyond should place it on the top of their summer reading list." Greg Ashman, Quillette

"The best book I have seen on improving elementary schools." Jay Mathews, Washington Post

"The Knowledge Gap makes a persuasive case for attending to the importance of rich content and high-quality curricula in elementary classrooms." Carnegie Corporation of New York

"This book serves as a reminder of our own potential knowledge gap and provides an opportunity for educators to be wiser consumers of information with the ability to 'distinguish between approaches that are likely to produce the outcomes we want and those that will only lead to a heartbreaking waste of precious time.'" Sheryl Ferlito, Perspectives on Language and Literacy

"Wexler ... has made a first-rate case for content. ... If you are among the uninitiated on the value of content knowledge for kids, buy a copy. If you're already among the true believers, buy two copies and put them in the hands of persuadable educators." Robert Pondiscio, Education Next

"In this compelling work, journalist Wexler pinpoints the underlying issues that plague the American public education system, provides context to recent educational reforms, and offers possible solutions." Library Journal (starred review)

"A compelling critique of American elementary schools" that "highlights pervasive problems." Kirkus Reviews

"Illuminating and thought-provoking." Publishers Weekly

THE KNOWLEDGE GAP focuses on a long-overlooked issue lying at the heart of what is known as the achievement gap: the failure of most elementary schools, and especially those serving low-income children, to systematically build knowledge of the world.

Every school day, elementary teachers spend hours drilling students on comprehension skills and strategies like "finding the main idea" or "making inferences," in an effort to boost their reading ability-and their scores on standardized reading tests. Subjects like history, science, and art have virtually disappeared from the curriculum in many schools.

In fact, these schools are doing the exact opposite of what can actually turn students into good readers. Comprehension strategies can be useful-when delivered in limited doses and connected to specific content. But cognitive science has shown that the primary factor in whether you're able to understand what you read is whether you possess relevant background knowledge and vocabulary.

The prevailing narrow, skills-focused approach to literacy instruction can hold any child back, but its effects fall hardest on those at the bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum. Children from more educated families often absorb knowledge about the world at home. But those from less educated families have to rely on schools for the kind of knowledge that will equip them to do well on tests-not to mention in high school, college, and life. Every year they spend in school without getting that knowledge puts them farther behind their more affluent peers. By the time they get to middle or high school, it's often too late for them to catch up.

Through the stories of educators, students, and parents, The Knowledge Gap examines what elementary literacy instruction currently looks like, how it evolved to this point - and how it can be changed so that all students receive a meaningful, rigorous education.

Excerpts from the book have appeared in The Atlantic, Chalkbeat, MindShift, American Educator, and the blog of the Albert Shanker Institute.

Read or listen to interviews with Natalie and presentations about The Knowledge Gap:

TV:

Morning Joe, MSNBC

After Words With Natalie Wexler, C-SPAN

Good Morning Washington, WJLA

VIDEO:

Why Prior Knowledge Wins the Game (two-minute video from Edutopia)

Western NY Science of Reading Conference, November 2022

Iniciativa Educacao, Lisbon (in English)

Why Teaching Social Studies Is Teaching Reading, The OC for Social Studies Conference

RADIO:
Total Information AM South Dakota Public Broadcasting
The Pulse (WHYY/NPR) (episode on comprehension)

On Point (WBUR/NPR)

Leonard Lopate at Large, WBAI

All of It, WNYC

The Record, KUOW

St. Louis in Tune, KWRH

Nightside with Dan Rea, WBZ

PODCASTS:

Through the Educational Looking Glass with Don Sturm and Courtney Eddleson

Lars og pal with Lars Sandaker

Education Uncharted with Amanda Bratten (Propello)

Raising Healthy Kid Brains podcast with Amy Nielson

TeachThought Podcast panel discussion with Emily Hanford and others

The Literacy View with Faith Borkowsky, Judy Boksner, and Mary McCool Berry

Building Knowledge with Kristen Rodriguez

Mr. Nico Summer Schoolin' with Nico Eaglin

Melissa and Lori Love Literacy (with Judith Hochman)

On the Scene with SST 13 with Mary Williams

The Inquiring Mind with Stanley Goldberg

After the Bell with Cassie Tabrizi
Talking to Teens
Alabama Literacy Network's Podcast with Shelley Vail-Smith

The Charles Love Show (second hour)

Catalysts for Change with Jill Shah

Rethinking Intervention with Emily Freitag

Tests and the Rest with Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley

Filling the Pail with Greg Ashman

Rethinking Intervention with Emily Freitag and Christina Gonzales

PodcastED with Doug Tuthill
EDVIEW 360 Podcast, Voyager Sopris: Righting the Wrongs of the Elementary Education System EWA Radio: Can Schools Close "The Knowledge Gap"?Just a Few Questions with Marc Sims
Education is Power with Chris Stewart (Facebook Live)

Melissa and Lori Love Literacy (second appearance)
More Teacher Talk: Transforming Teaching and Learning for Disadvantaged Pupils Full Prefrontal: A Podcast About Exposing the Mysteries of Executive Function Ed's Not Dead: A podcast covering today's hottest education issues Off the Assembly Line: A Podcast with Rebecca Reed ExtraOrdinary Districts: Ordinary school districts that get extraordinary results Vrain Waves: Teaching Conversations with Minds Shaping Education Science of Reading: The Podcast The Learning Curve with Bob Bowdon and Cara Candel The Report Card with Nat Malkus Education Research Reading Room with Ollie Lovell Principal Center Radio with Justin Baeder Melissa and Lori Love Literacy

PRINT INTERVIEWS AND ARTICLES:
EdSource/KQED, This Literacy Expert Reveals the Key Problem Undermining American Education, April 25, 2024 Edutopia, "Why Our Youngest Readers Need 'Knowledge,' Not 'Skills,' July 28, 2022 Edutopia, "Is It Time to Drop 'Finding the Main Idea' and Teach Reading in a New Way?, July 28, 2020 American Educator, "Building Knowledge: What an Elementary Curriculum Should Do", Summer 2020 EdNC, "Reading instruction needs to improve. Who will lead the charge, and how?", February 17, 2020 Perspectives on Language and Literacy, "The Importance of Knowledge" (International Dyslexia Association), Fall 2019 MindShift (KQED) ,"Why Deeply Diving Into Content Could Be the Key to Reading Comprehension," October 22, 2019 Chalkbeat, "Want better readers? Spend less time teaching kids to find the main idea, 'Knowledge Gap' author Natalie Wexler argues", September 16, 2019 District Administration, "Closing the knowledge gap: Why schools are failing to teach fundamental reading and comprehension skills-and how to change it", October 2019
Click HERE to order The Knowledge Gap through the publisher's website or HERE to order from Amazon. Listen to an excerpt from the audio version, read by the author, below. To order the audio book, click HERE.

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Winner of a silver medal from the Nautilus Book Awards in the category of Social Sciences and Education "Is it possible to create a more inclusive and fairer education system? The Knowledge Gap shows the way." Daisy Christodoulou, tes. "The Knowledge Gap is not just a scholarly work.

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Aouad, J. and Savage, R. (2009). The component structure of preliteracy skills: Further evidence for the simple view of reading. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 24 (2), 183-200.

Catts, H., Adlof, S., and Weismer, S. (2006). Language deficits in poor comprehenders: A case for the simple view of reading. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 278-293.

Gough, P., Hoover, W., and Patterson, C. (1996). Some observations on a simple view of reading. In C. Cornoldi and J. Oakhill (eds.), Reading comprehension difficulties: Processes and intervention (pp. 1-13). Mahway, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

*Gough, P. and Tunmer, W. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6-10.

Hoover, W. and Gough, P. (1990). The simple view of reading. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2, 127-160.

*Kamhi, A. (2007). Knowledge deficits: the true crisis in education. ASHA Leader, 12 (7), 28-29.

*These articles are short and easy to read.

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The Simple View of Reading is a formula demonstrating the widely accepted view that reading has two basic components: word recognition (decoding) and language comprehension. Research studies show that a student's reading comprehension score can be predicted if decoding skills and language comprehension abilities are known.

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Watch from 6:00-end

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What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness | Robert Waldinger | TED

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1 Curtis, S. (1977). Genie: A linguistic study of a modern-day "wild child." New York: Academic Press.

Also, the Francois Truffaut film, The Wild Child, depicts the case of Victor, an abandoned child discovered in the woods and brought to an asylum in France in 1798. The film was written about in Roger Shattuck's (1980) The Forbidden Experiment: The Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron.

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Speaking Is Natural; Reading and Writing Are Not

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Human brains are naturally wired to speak; they are not naturally wired to read and write. With teaching, children typically learn to read at about age 5 or 6 and need several years to master the skill.

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Foreword by Carol Ann Tomlinson Chapter 1. Literacy Within the Disciplines The Problem With Reading Strategies Unpacking Disciplinary Literacy Deeper Learning and Disciplinary Literacy Disciplinary Literacy and Standards The Role of the Teacher Disciplinary Reading, Writing, Inquiry, and Collaboration Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 2. Reading Within the Disciplines The Benefits of Reading Within the Disciplines Shifts for Reading Within the Disciplines Reading Within Science Reading Within Math Reading Within History and Social Studies Reading Within ELA Questions (and Answers) About Reading Within the Disciplines How to Get Students Reading in Every Discipline Every Day Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 3. Writing Within the Disciplines Benefits of Writing Within the Disciplines Shifts for Teaching Writing Within the Disciplines Writing Within Science Writing Within History and Social Studies Writing Within Math Writing Within ELA Questions (and Answers) About Writing Within the Disciplines How to Get Students Writing Within the Disciplines Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 4. Inquiry Within the Disciplines Inquiry and Disciplinary Literacy Shifts for Implementing Inquiry Within the Disciplines Inquiry Within Science Inquiry Within History and Social Studies Inquiry Within Math Inquiry Within ELA Questions (and Answers) About Inquiry Within the Disciplines How to Get Students Inquiring Within the Disciplines Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 5. Collaborative Learning The Power of Collaboration Collaborative Learning by Any Other Name Vocabulary: The Tool of Disciplinary Talk Shifts for Implementing Collaborative Learning Within the Disciplines Collaboration Within Science Collaboration Within Math Collaboration Within History and Social Studies Collaboration Within ELA Questions (and Answers) About Collaboration Within the Disciplines Activities for Collaborative Learning Within the Disciplines Suggestions for Further Reading Chapter 6. This Is Disciplinary Literacy Enter: Food Lit Literacy Alive Campfire: Literacy and Food A Student Perspective Collaboration and Community Class Meals: A Metaphor for Community Service-Learning at Home Cross-Culture Connections An Administrative Perspective Students as Learners, Students as Presenters The Power of Disciplinary Literacy References Index

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This Is Disciplinary Literacy helps content area teachers put into action the key literacies of their specialties-taking students from superficial understanding to deep content expertise.

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Acknowledgments About the Authors INTRODUCTION What to Expect From This Book CHAPTER 1: DISCIPLINARY LITERACY AND COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING: A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS Literacy Initiatives and PLCs: What Went Wrong? Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Learning: A Story of Success Meet Our Disciplinary Literacy Learning Community Benefits of Collaborative Disciplinary Literacy Professional Learning Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning CHAPTER 2: UNLOCKING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY What Is Literacy in the 21st Century? Content Area Literacy Versus Disciplinary Literacy Disciplinary Literacy Instruction in Action Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning HOW TO CREATE A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHAPTER 3: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY READING Why Read in Every Discipline? Wide Reading in All Disciplines: There's No Downside Reading Strategies: When and How Vocabulary: The Key to All Content Reading Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning CHAPTER 4: CREATING A SCHOOLWIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY WRITING Exploring Disciplinary Writing Writing to Learn in the Discipline Areas Following the Pros: Disciplinary Mentor Texts Feedback: From Master to Apprentice Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning CHAPTER 5: CREATING A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY THINKING Learning to Think in Disciplinary Ways Curiosity Drives Disciplinary Thinking Students and Teachers: Thinking Like Insiders Together Making Disciplinary Thinking Visible Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning HOW TO SUSTAIN A SCHOOL-WIDE CULTURE OF DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHAPTER 6: BUILDING DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITIES The Problem With PLCs Fixing the Problem Through DL Learning Communities Tips for Creating Interdisciplinary Common Subject Literacy Learning Communities The All-Important First Meeting Supporting DL Learning Communities Moving Toward Collective Efficacy Sustaining DL Learning Communities Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning CHAPTER 7: WHAT MATTERS MOST IN A DISCIPLINARY LITERACY (DL) LEARNING COMMUNITY Collective Inquiry Autonomy and Authority Meaningful Collaboration Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning CHAPTER 8: FROM TEACHER LEARNER TO TEACHER LEADER Disciplinary Literacy Develops Deep Leadership Disciplinary Literacy Leadership Roles The Power of Disciplinary Literacy Leadership Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning CHAPTER 9: LEADING THE DISCIPLINARY LITERACY CHARGE Administrative Leaders as Learners Disciplinary Literacy Coaching: The Glue That Holds It All Together Fostering Disciplinary Literacy Dialogue Resources for Continued Learning Coda Appendix A: Disciplinary Literacy in English Language Arts Appendix B: Disciplinary Literacy in Math Appendix C: Disciplinary Literacy in Science Appendix D: Disciplinary Literacy in Social Studies Appendix E: Disciplinary Literacy in Art Appendix F: Disciplinary Literacy in a World Language Appendix G: Disciplinary Literacy in Health Appendix H: Disciplinary Literacy in Music Appendix I: Technology or Digital Literacy Appendix J: Disciplinary Literacy in Physical Education References Index

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How do you get content area teachers on the same page about literacy? By trusting that discipline-specific literacy skills will naturally arise-or will they? With this book, you get a professional learning plan to assure they do. Field-tested for more than a decade, this is ready made PL at its best, sure to instill innovative reading and writing schoolwide.

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This book offers teachers a complete framework for organizing instruction, aligned with the language comprehension strands of Scarborough's Reading Rope. In-depth chapters are devoted to each facet of reading comprehension, including vocabulary, syntax and sentence comprehension, text structures, background knowledge, and levels of understanding and inference.

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Big Picture Disciplinary Literacy & Key Reading Ideas

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Big Picture Disciplinary Literacy & Key Reading Ideas

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Disciplinary Reading & Circle of Viewpoints

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Disciplinary Reading & Circle of Viewpoints

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0:00-2:20

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Read Aloud Comprehension Planning - ISU G9 Science

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Check out these resources throughout the unit to learn even more about electricity.

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The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

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The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

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Zaretta Hammond

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Reading Conference Example with Jennifer Serravallo

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Reading Conference Example with Jennifer Serravallo

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Grade 10 Humanities Learning Labsite - ISU

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ISUganda SS Disciplinary Literacy  2 - Jan 2024

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More is more when it comes to students' vocabulary knowledge, and in The Vocabulary Playbook, educators in K-12 get ideas for transforming all children into curious, capable word learners. The key? Put away the word-list mindset, and embrace active modeling, peer work, and independent practice.

Five modules offer direct instruction and effective routines that show how to:

Select and teach only the most high-utility, transferable words that are ripe for discussion

Use direct instruction to model word-solving in each content area

Teach morphology in ways that invite students to apply understandings in reading, writing, talk, and listening

Turn academic word-learning into a relevant experience with peer collaboration activities

Create a culture of word consciousness by emphasizing concepts, modeling curiosity, and offering "low-risk" routines that make it okay to not yet know

Intentional vocabulary instruction is critical in every grade, and in every content area. With The Vocabulary Playbook, your approach is now tactical, transparent, and fun. Whether you are an administrator executing a school-wide plan or a teacher eager for practical strategies, this is the book that will help students build academic success-word by word.

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Students develop vocabulary when teachers make it a priority-it’s that simple. This resource abounds with dynamic word-learning activities...

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" can be a tool to inform early and late career educators seeking foundational knowledge about classroom vocabulary instruction. The historical footing paired with critical issues such as linguistic diversity, multilingual students, and intentional materials selection offers an empirically-based yet approachable guide for teachers to strengthen vocabulary instruction within their classrooms. As stated by Hiebert, 'Long-lasting changes in the complex contexts of classrooms are made through steady application of small changes' (p. x). With Teaching Words, educators can develop effective, meaningful vocabulary instruction one small change at a time."

- Teachers College Record

"Hiebert's (2020) latest volume, Teaching Words and How They Work: Small Changes for Big Vocabulary Results, addresses the complexity and necessity of vocabulary instruction from a pragmatic perspective and offers educators both the opportunity to learn more about the relationships among words and discover practical pedagogical techniques to implement in the classroom."

- Journal of Language and Literacy Education

"This book is a must-read for teachers who want to move their instruction beyond the weekly word list. By integrating small, specific changes, Hiebert helps you develop lasting improvements in your curriculum. She has created a viable process that can make a significant, long-term impact in the vocabulary development of your students without overwhelming you in the process. It should be on every educator's bookshelf." -Melanie Kuhn, Jean Adamson Stanley Faculty Chair in Literacy, Purdue University

" Teaching Words and How They Work stands to make a significant contribution to the field. Teachers are expected to juggle numerous priorities and supporting children's word learning is often the ball that gets dropped. This book provides teachers with small but powerful suggestions for including vocabulary instruction through already-established classroom practices so that teachers can address multiple objectives at once. By making the small changes Hiebert suggests, teachers can make a big difference in children's vocabulary and thereby support children's learning throughout their school years."
-Rebecca D. Silverman, Stanford Graduate School of Education

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ASDoha G3-5 Specialists Vocab in Content Areas - October 2023

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Ways to Support Language (Vocabulary) Acqusition

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Ways to Support Language (Vocabulary) Acqusition

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Ideas to Teach and Have Students Self-Assess Word Knowledge

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Ideas to Teach and Have Students Self-Assess Word Knowledge

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DAA HS Vocabulary Usage Session - October 2023 (1)