• Reading Comprehension

• Phonemic Awareness

• Phonics

• High-Frequency Words

• Cueing Systems

• Text Selection

Practical Instruction for Primary Grades: Whether your students are just learning to read or building more advanced reading comprehensive skills, Shifting the Balance is designed to help teachers meet the instructional needs of K-2 students.

Six Manageable Shifts: Each chapter focuses on a key shift that helps educators understand common misconceptions and adjust their thinking around some common instructional practices that teachers have been using for decades.

Evidence-Based Instruction: Burkins and Yates offer busy educators a blueprint for integrating finding from brain research, cognitive science, and child development into their daily instruction, while keeping meaningful experiences with books a priority.

Classroom Applications: Shifting the Balance is full of sample activities and classroom vignettes that paint a picture of what these shifts look like in action with roomful of learners.

• Zoom in on a common (but not-as helpful-as-we-had-hoped) practice to reconsider

• Untangle a number of “misunderstandings” that have likely contributed to the use of the common practice

• Propose a more science-aligned shift to the current practice

• Provide solid scientific research to support the revised practice

• Offer a collection of high-leverage, easy-to-implement instructional routines to support the shift to more brain-friendly instruction

The authors offer a refreshing approach that is respectful, accessible, and practical – grounded in an earnest commitment to building a bridge between research and classroom practice. As with the first Shifting the Balance, they aim to keep students at the forefront of reading instruction.

TEACHERS WILL:

• Learn the fundamentals of effective writing instruction. Get research-based background knowledge about writing development, the five components of the Writing Rope framework, the role of fluent transcription skills in proficient writing, and the intentional choices proficient writers make about writing craft.

• Apply evidence-based practices in the classroom. Teach essential skills all students must learn to become proficient writers, focusing on critical thinking strategies for generating ideas and gathering information before writing, strategies for each stage of the writing process, syntactic awareness and sentence writing, paragraph writing, and skillful structuring of different types of text.   

• Help students “write to learn.” Teach students how to use writing to enhance their learning across different content areas. Learn how to plan effective writing assignments in different content areas, and explicitly teach students skills for summarizing texts and writing about narrative and expository text. 

Aligned with the science of reading and extensively field tested, this guidebook is built around the National Reading Panel's big five ideas: phoneme awareness, phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Teachers will get a concise introduction to each component, assessment options for each, specific strategies for connecting assessment findings to lesson planning, and dozens of practice activities to incorporate into small-group and whole-group instruction. Packed with strategies, scenarios, and planning worksheets, this book helps classroom teachers and reading specialists take action after assessments, make data-driven decisions, and plan differentiated instruction that makes a real difference for struggling readers.

New focus on today's most widely used assessments: DIBELS 8th Edition, Acadience Reading K-6, easyCBM, and aimswebPlusConvenient charts with clear summaries of the assessments90+ new and updated activities specially designed for use with struggling readers during whole-class or small-group instructionPractical guidance on implementing instruction and intervention within MTSSExplicit connections to the science of reading, Structured Literacy, Scarborough's Reading Rope, and Ehri's phases of word reading developmentNew online materials: a quick-reference Assessment Guide, a handy online resources list, and 20+ pages of downloadable worksheets, planning guides, and templates for classroom use

In an accessible format that contains audio and video clips, along with classroom anecdotes and model conversations, Zucker and Cabell show why Strive-for-Five conversations are important and how teachers can use them to engage children and develop their language comprehension. As teachers use the framework to build students’ knowledge, vocabulary, reasoning, and other skills that underpin reading success, they'll also see students’ confidence grow as they share their individual stories, ideas, and questions.

"What works?"

As teachers, it’s a question we often ask ourselves about teaching writing, and it often summarizes other, more specific questions we have:

What contributes to an effective climate for writing?What practices and structures best support effective writing instruction?What classroom content helps writers develop?What tasks are most beneficial for writers learning to write?What choices should I make as a teacher to best help my students?

Using teacher-friendly language and classroom examples, Deborah Dean helps answer these questions. She looks closely at instructional practices supported by a broad range of research and weaves them together into accessible recommendations that can inspire teachers to find what works for their own classrooms and students. 

Initially based on the Carnegie Institute’s influential Writing Next report, this second edition of What Works in Writing Instruction looks at more types of research that have been conducted in the decade since the publication of that first research report. The new research rounds out its list of recommended practices and is designed to help teachers apply the findings to their unique classroom environments. We all must find the right mix of practices and tasks for our own students, and this book offers the best of what is currently known about effective writing instruction to help teachers help students develop as writers.

As most teachers of English now know, research shows that teaching grammar in the traditional way—through worksheets, memorizing definitions, and diagramming sentences—doesn’t work, and that teaching grammar in the context of reading and writing is a better approach.

People who understand language can make things happen. That is the point of grammar/language teaching. Not definitions. Not terminology. Language.

Veteran teacher educator Deborah Dean addresses the realities and challenges of grammar instruction with practical examples and experiences, including:

Vignettes of classroom conversations to show what teaching in context can look like in actionClassroom practices to help teachers try out the ideas with their own students Issues such as helping English language learners and native speakers navigate formal, academic English, especially in the context of testing

Dean’s straightforward approach uncomplicates the task of teaching grammar in context, allowing her—and us—to share the excitement and wonder to be found in the study of language.

New to This Edition
*Reflects over a decade of advances in research-based vocabulary instruction.
*Chapters on vocabulary and writing; assessment; and differentiating instruction for struggling readers and English language learners, including coverage of response to intervention (RTI).
*Expanded discussions of content-area vocabulary and multiple-meaning words.
*Many additional examples showing what robust instruction looks like in action.
*Appendix with a useful menu of instructional activities.

• 100 new and 200 heavily revised strategies

• 700+ references or links to research studies

• Skill progressions for progress monitoring

• 200 new student-facing charts

• New strategies for advanced middle school readers

• Recently published mentor texts used in lesson examples

Serravallo brings a practical and proven approach to helping teachers help kids develop as skilled readers. The Reading Strategies Book 2.0 is designed to work in every K-8 classroom, providing strategies and lesson plans for every type of reader.

The user-friendly design of The Reading Strategies Book 2.0 makes it easy to find strategies, prompts, and tips that meet every student where they are now. Save prep time and support readers' progress toward skills mastery with classroom-ready features such as revised lesson language with updated mentor texts, teaching tips with advice for differentiation, and mostly new student-facing charts.

Whether you are looking for powerful and engaging lessons for whole-class teaching, need to supplement your core curriculum with small-group instruction, want to improve the quality of content-area instruction, or need ideas for intervention, The Reading Strategies Book 2.0 will help you connect research to practice.

"You can think of the goals as the what, "writes Jen, "and the strategies as the how." From composing with pictures all the way to conventions and beyond, you'll have just-right teaching, just in time. With Jen's help you'll:

• develop individual goals for every writer

• give students step-by-step strategies for writing with skill and craft

• coach writers using prompts aligned to a strategy

• present mentor texts that support a genre and strategy

• adjust instruction to meet individual needs with Jen's Teaching Tips

• demonstrate and explain a writing move with her Lesson Language

• learn more with Hat Tips to the work of influential teacher-authors.

She even offers suggestions for stocking your writing center, planning units of study, celebrating student writing, and keeping records.

Whether you use Writing Workshop, 6+1 Traits, Daily 5's "Work on Writing," a scripted writing program, the writing exercises in your basal, or any other approach, you'll discover a treasure chest of ways to work with whole classes, small groups, or individual writers.

"I am convinced that helping kids to articulate clear goals for their work," writes Jen Serravallo, "and supporting them with strategies and feedback to accomplish those goals, makes a huge difference." With The Writing Strategies Book you can make that kind of difference with your writers every day.

New to This Edition
*Many new teaching ideas and book recommendations, with an increased focus on culturally diverse literature.
*Scope expanded from K-5 to K-8.
*Chapter on using read-alouds and silent reading.
*Chapters on diverse literature about the arts and on transitional chapter books.
*Chapter on engaging struggling readers with authentic reading experiences.

Each chapter features classroom vignettes showcasing the use of literature and inviting conversation; three key principles elaborating the main theme of the chapter and connecting theory with practice; and related research on the topics and their importance for curriculum. Thoroughly revised, the third edition includes new recommendations for teaching with a critical edge and exploring alternative approaches to standardized assessment.

With more attention to culturally and linguistically diverse learners and addressing new topics such as censorship and controversial texts, the new edition is essential for courses on teaching children’s literature and English Language Arts methods, and for every preservice elementary and middle school English teacher.

A companion website to enrich and extend the text includes an annotated bibliography of literature selections, suggested text sets, resources by chapter, ideas for professional development, and recommendations for further reading.

Engaging, pragmatic, and accessible, this book is an essential text for preservice teacher candidates and a valuable resource for experienced teachers, teacher educators, administrators, and other professionals involved in teaching foundational literacy skills.

New chapters focused on: assessment basics- standards to guide instruction - development of social-emotional skills and early language - advanced word study - English learners - supportive technology - role of reflection in planning instruction.

Revised chapters on: foundational skills of literacy acquisition and instruction to develop phonological and phonemic awareness - basic phonics - beginning and advanced handwriting, spelling, composition, and strategic writing - fluency - vocabulary - comprehension - disciplinary literacy - integrated lesson plans

New features: Reflect boxes that encourage critical thought - multiple-choice Knowledge Assessment questions - revised Application Activities - vignettes, case studies, numbered text boxes, and sample activities and scripts.

Updated information on: structured literacy - data-based decision making - MTSS - metacognitive awareness - formal and informal assessments to guide instruction - standards-based instruction including the Common Core State Standards and the Knowledge & Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading

New faculty support materials. More on key topics like program and curricula selection, frameworks for instructional planning, and problem solving when students are slow to respond to interventionMore accessible, undergraduate-friendly tone and structure. Additional graphics to illustrate key concepts.

Support your instruction with a complete package of online companion materials, including chapter quizzes, a sample syllabus/course outline, PowerPoints to accompany each chapter, PDF handouts for selected concepts, and a video demonstrating production of all the sounds in the English language.

– Why is there a W inanswerand an L intalk?

– What’s going on with words likemoveandcomfortable?

– Why isn’thastenspelled likebasinormason?

These spellings make sense once we are aware of all that’s conveyed by a written word—information about so much more than just its pronunciation. This book will introduce the structural (morphological) framework that is present in every English word, reveal the signals of relationships that are embedded in our most interesting spellings, and provide enlightening evidence to support a reevaluation of some traditional spelling rules.

The compelling explanations of English spelling contained in this book allow all of us to understand and reconstruct many spellings, rather than memorizing them, while expanding vocabulary and deepening reading comprehension. This is particularly important for those with dyslexia.

Set aside what you know about spelling for the moment, and take a journey below the surface of words. Together, we’ll uncover the surprising coherence, depth, and clarity of the English writing system.

• value each child's language and literacy practices

• develop relationships with your writers

• teach with efficiency

• increase student engagement

• improve independence

• develop social support amongst students

• provide space to give and receive feedback.

First, Teaching Writing in Small Groups lays the foundation for success. Jen shows how to create groups for maximum effectiveness and how to make what you teach responsive, clear, and sticky. Then she streamlines differentiated instruction with a menu of small-group options for providing just-right support:

• strategy lessons

• guided writing

• shared writing

• interactive writing

• inquiry groups

• reflection groups

• coaching writing partnerships and clubs

Jen has thought of it all. Twelve videos with writers from Kindergarten to seventh grade from in-person and online classrooms model each type of small group, selected passages and forms are available in the Online Resources in Spanish, downloadable skill-progression note-taking forms provide focus for instructional decision making, and her "Take It to Your Classroom" feature supports implementation for individuals or study groups.

Read Jennifer Serravallo's Teaching Writing in Small Groups because the question isn't whether small groups work, but how to make the most of them.

Classroom video, annotated mentor texts and student writing samples, and teaching and planning tools will give you what you need to teach effectively with mentor texts.