Building Student Literacy Through Sustained Silent Reading

Offers research studies that validate sustained silent reading as a successful way to help build the literacy skills of students at all ability levels, including ESL students.

Literacy leaders come together to give advice about silent reading instruction and how to make it work in your classroom. --from publisher description.

Hopeful, hilarious musings and serious advice for new teachers from the formerly anonymous blogger behind Love, Teach. Every teacher will tell you the first years are the hardest, and even the most confident of the pack sometimes ask themselves, Am I cut out for this? Kelly Treleaven, the teacher and once-anonymous blogger behind Love, Teach, wants you to know that you're not alone, and that yes, she has cried under her desk, too. Treleaven's blog has become a sensation in the education world, known for its heartfelt, high-spirited dispatches straight from the trenches and its practical advice. In Treleaven's debut book, she gives rookie teachers the advice she wishes she'd had when she started out in a large district in Houston. From logistical questions like how to prep and organize a classroom, to deeper issues like how to build relationships with students, navigate administration, and avoid burnout, Love, Teach is an essential book for anyone working in education today or considering the profession. With raw feeling, humor, and a razor-sharp perspective, Love, Teach supports teachers in their fight for a better future, and helps them celebrate the victories, large and small.

An eye-opening look at the latest research findings about the success of free voluntary reading in developing high levels of literacy. Free voluntary reading looks better and more powerful than ever. Stephen D. Krashen, PhD, is an advocate for free voluntary reading in schools and has published many journal articles on the subject. Free Voluntary Reading: Power 2010 collects the last ten years of his extensive work and reconsiders all aspects of this important debate in light of the latest findings. The book provides an accessible examination of topics, such as free voluntary reading's value in language and literary acquisition domestically and worldwide, recent developments in support of free voluntary reading, whether rewards-based programs benefit the development of lifelong reading, the value of phonics in reading instruction, and trends in literacy in the United States.

Boost the Engagement and Achievement of Adolescent Readers Building Academic Literacy: Lessons from Reading Apprenticeship Classrooms, Grades 6—12, features pieces by five middle and high school teachers working with the Reading Apprenticeship instructional framework introduced in Reading for Understanding (Schoenbach et al., Jossey-Bass, 1999). Filled with instructional tips, lesson plans, and curriculum resources, this book offers guidance on conducting Academic Literacy courses using readings from the companion student book–Building Academic Literacy: An Anthology for Reading Apprenticeship (Fielding and Schoenbach, Jossey-Bass, 2003). It can serve as an excellent resource for any content area teacher, grades 6—12, looking for classroom-based ideas to motivate adolescents in becoming more active, engaged and strategic readers. "Whenever we read books about teaching, we ask ourselves, 'But what does that look like in the classroom?' Building Academic Literacy: Lessons from Reading Apprenticeship Classrooms answers the question of what 'Academic Literacy' is, why it matters, and how teachers can develop these key intellectual habits in their students. This book, and its companion anthology, provide me the guidance and resources that I need." —Jim Burke, author, The Reader's Handbook and The English Teacher's Companion "Following close upon the heels of the widely acclaimed book Reading for Understanding, this new two-volume companion set, Building Academic Literacy: An Anthology for Reading Apprenticeship and Building Academic Literacy: Lessons from Reading Apprenticeship Classrooms, is certain to propel Academic Literacy as a course of study into increasingly more middle and high school classrooms." —Donna Alvermann, professor of education, University of Georgia and past president, International Reading Association

This practical, accessible resource will help future and practicing teachers integrate literature into their middle school or high school classrooms, while also addressing content area standards and improving the literacy skills of their students. Two introductory chapters are followed by five chapters that each cover a different genre: Chapter 3, Informational Books; Chapter 4, Fiction; Chapter 5, Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir; Chapter 6, Poetry; and Chapter 7, How-to and Hands-on Books. Each genre chapter consists of four parts: Part 1: Discusses the genre and how content area teachers can use books within that genre to further content learning and enhance literacy skills. Part 2: Offers hands-on instructional strategies and activities using literature, with activities for use in a variety of disciplines. Part 3: Presents individual author studies (three or four per chapter) with bibliographies and guidelines for using the authors' books in content area courses. Part 4: Features an annotated bibliography of specially selected children and young adult literature for that genre, organized by content area. The annotations provide information about the book, which can be used to prepare booktalks, and teaching ideas for using in a specific content area. Altogether these sections contain more than 600 annotated entries tabbed by subject area, including art, English/language arts, languages and culture, math and technology, music, PE/health, science, and social studies/history.

Graphic novels are an excellent medium to motivate today’s youth to become independent learners and thinkers. This practical guide shows secondary school teachers how to incorporate graphic novels into content area instruction as a tool for meeting the needs of diverse learners and achieving the goals of the Common Core State Standards. The authors provide instructional guidelines with classroom examples that demonstrate how graphic novels can be used to expand content knowledge and literacy in science, social studies, math, and English/language arts. Teachers will appreciate the book’s specific suggestions for selecting graphic novels and for employing responsive practices that will build students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening, and media competencies. “The range and complexity of graphic novels being published right now is simply amazing to me. . . . They are part of what should be a balanced array of texts that all can read, enjoy, and learn from. In this volume, the authors point to this proliferation, as well as the educative potential of graphic novels. After reading its pages, I feel others will agree with me that they have done an excellent job pointing out how graphic novel creators such as Jim Ottaviani and Larry Gonick communicate much about history, science, and mathematics while also making connections to comprehension and thinking skills that accompany both literacy and content-specific learning.” —From the Foreword by Stergios Botzakis, assistant professor of adolescent literacy in the Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Department at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville “The authors have set forth on a task I feel long is overdu—connecting the literacy potential of graphic novels to the content areas. This book is a wonderful contribution to the field of content area literacy studies.” —Michael D. Boatright, assistant professor, Department of English, Western Carolina University Book Features: Advice for selecting and evaluating graphic novels. Teaching strategies for each of the four major content domains. Guidance for aligning instruction with the Common Core State Standards. A list of educational graphic novels organized by content area. Study group questions.And more! William G. Brozo is a professor of literacy in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and author of RTI and the Adolescent Reader. Gary Moorman is professor emeritus at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Carla K. Meyer is an assistant professor in the Reading Education and Special Education Department at Appalachian State University.

College and career readiness standards demand reading, writing, and speaking proficiency from students. Learn research-based strategies that engage students in all facets of English Language Arts.