Reading Across Multiple Texts In The Common Core Classroom

This teacher-friendly resource addresses one of the most important critical reading skills in the Common Core State Standards—reading across multiple texts. As the world grows ever more complicated, students more than ever need to become skillful at reading multiple sources, comparing, contrasting, and integrating texts. Responding specifically to Standards 7 and 9, this guide shows teachers how to work with students as they read, think about, critique, and evaluate multiple texts, including narrative and informational, print, graphic, and video, hard copy and online. The authors provide strategies for helping students answer text-dependent questions, find evidence in a text, and scan for information. Model lessons developed and taught by the authors and their professional colleagues will be especially useful to teachers whether they are beginning or expanding their own teaching of multiple texts. “Reading Across Multiple Texts in the Common Core Classroom, K–5 is the book for which elementary school literacy educators have been waiting for ever since the Common Core State Standards were released.” —From the Foreword by Robert J. Marzano, CEO, Marzano Research Laboratory “These authors provide a refreshingly realistic look at what it could mean to read across texts. Planning templates and examples illustrate the potential of CCSS to vastly improve students' text-based experiences. The combination of an extended application of comprehension research and a clear understanding of classrooms make this book a must read for teachers.” —Sharon Walpole, professor, School of Education, University of Delaware

Teaching students to make connections across related texts promotes engagement and improves reading comprehension and content learning. This practical guide explains how to select and teach a wide range of picture books as paired text--two books related by topic, theme, or genre--in grades K-8. The author provides mini-lessons across the content areas, along with hundreds of recommendations for paired text, each linked to specific Common Core standards for reading literature and informational texts. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book includes 22 reproducible graphic organizers and other useful tools. Purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.

"The Handbook of Reading Research is the research handbook for the field. Each volume has come to define the field for the period of time it covers ... When taken as a set, the four volumes provide a definitive history of reading research"--Back of cover, volume 4.

The Common Core State Standards have put close reading in the spotlight as never before. While middle and high school teachers want and need students to connect with, analyze, and learn from both literary and informational texts, many are unsure how to foster the skills students must have in order to develop deep and nuanced understanding of complicated content. Is there a process to follow? How is close reading different from shared reading and other common literacy practices? How do you prepare students to have their ability to analyze complex texts measured by high-stakes assessments? And how do you fit close reading instruction and experiences into an already crowded curriculum? Literacy experts Barbara Moss, Diane Lapp, Maria Grant, and Kelly Johnson answer these questions and more as they explain how to teach middle and high school students to be close readers, how to make close reading a habit of practice across the content areas, and why doing so will build content knowledge. Informed by the authors’ extensive field experience and enriched by dozens of real-life scenarios and downloadable tools and templates, this book explores • Text complexity and how to determine if a particular text is right for your learning purposes and your students. • The process and purpose of close reading, with an emphasis on its role in developing the 21st century thinking, speaking, and writing skills essential for academic communication and college and career readiness. • How to plan, teach, and manage close reading sessions across the academic disciplines, including the kinds of questions to ask, texts to use, and supports to provide. • How to assess close reading and help all students—regardless of linguistic, cultural, or academic background—connect deeply with what they read and derive meaning from complex texts. Equipping students with the tools and process of close reading sets them on the road to becoming analytical and critical thinkers—and empowered and independent learners. In this comprehensive resource, you’ll find everything you need to start their journey.

Tired of hearing about “complex text”? Bothered by the pushy messages about “challenge”? This book is for you! Unlike the many other materials on text complexity, this one focuses on specific comprehension skills that students need in order to really engage with text. This book will help elementary school teachers equip their students with practical tools and understandings of the structures and conventions that allow them to excel, including concrete tools, passages, games, lessons, and examples to teach anaphora, connectives, paragraph structure, gathering evidence (fiction and nonfiction), and text challenge. A final chapter specifies how to stretch students in texts while attending to their stamina, executive skills, and interests. Book Features: Text-based lessons for grades 3–5.Opening vignettes which provide classroom context for each skill.Key objectives and Common Core Standards. Think-aloud language to guide strategy development.Research-based strategies and games. “Real-life scenarios of comprehension breakdowns all teachers will recognize are followed by detailed guidelines for best practice and step-by-step directions for activities to combat and remedy these pitfalls. This book is a valuable resource for all teachers supporting intermediate graders’ reading comprehension.” —Tisha Hayes, University of Virginia “I highly recommend this book for classroom teachers, reading specialists, and interventionists who are looking for ways to deepen students’ comprehension. Additionally, this book provides a rich toolkit for supporting professional development in schools.” —Kelly B. Cartwright, Christopher Newport University “This book is a must-have for any teacher who strives to meet the standards in meaningful, engaging ways.” —Jennifer Powell, Radford University

TEACH YOUR STUDENTS TO READ WITH PRECISION AND INSIGHT The world we are preparing our students to succeed in is one bound together by words and phrases. Our students learn their literature, history, math, science, or art via a firm foundation of strong reading skills. When we teach students to read with precision, rigor, and insight, we are truly handing over the key to the kingdom. Of all the subjects we teach reading is first among equals. Grounded in advice from effective classrooms nationwide, enhanced with more than 40 video clips, Reading Reconsidered takes you into the trenches with actionable guidance from real-life educators and instructional champions. The authors address the anxiety-inducing world of Common Core State Standards, distilling from those standards four key ideas that help hone teaching practices both generally and in preparation for assessments. This 'Core of the Core' comprises the first half of the book and instructs educators on how to teach students to: read harder texts, 'closely read' texts rigorously and intentionally, read nonfiction more effectively, and write more effectively in direct response to texts. The second half of Reading Reconsidered reinforces these principles, coupling them with the 'fundamentals' of reading instruction—a host of techniques and subject specific tools to reconsider how teachers approach such essential topics as vocabulary, interactive reading, and student autonomy. Reading Reconsidered breaks an overly broad issue into clear, easy-to-implement approaches. Filled with practical tools, including: 44 video clips of exemplar teachers demonstrating the techniques and principles in their classrooms (note: for online access of this content, please visit my.teachlikeachampion.com) Recommended book lists Downloadable tips and templates on key topics like reading nonfiction, vocabulary instruction, and literary terms and definitions. Reading Reconsidered provides the framework necessary for teachers to ensure that students forge futures as lifelong readers.

Schools and teachers have struggled to integrate Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into their local Response to Intervention (RTI) systems. This book offers an adaptable framework and practical tips to assist educational professionals charged with making this connection in their schools, districts, and classrooms for English language arts. Based on years of experience, we know that students perform best when provided with research-based instruction, frequent progress monitoring, and timely and targeted interventions. Focusing on what the research tells us about how children learn, this highly practical guide can serve as the core of language arts instruction. RTI in the Common Core Classroom will guide today’s classroom teachers, reading coaches, and administrators in their efforts to support all students in meeting literacy standards, including individuals with mild to moderate disabilities. Book Features: A research-based, innovative approach for implementing RTI and the Common Core curriculum. Effective teaching and assessment practices in foundational reading skills, reading comprehension, and writing. User-friendly design including, research highlight boxes, recommended reading lists, questions for professional learning communities, prompts, sample assignments, student writing excerpts, a Q & A section, and a trait-weighting table. “Sharon Vaughn is the perfect classroom expert to help teachers mesh the requirements of any RTI program with high standards, whether they be CCSS, state, or local.” —Susan B. Neuman, New York University “Teaching to the unique abilities of an increasingly diverse group of students is a persistent challenge in public education. Whether used in a Common Core classroom or school system, Dr. Vaughn’s new book is yet another invaluable tool for teachers and leaders to use RTI to accelerate achievement for all students.” —Larkin Tackett, executive director, Austin Region, IDEA Public Schools

Implementation of the Common Core State Standards with the integration of children's literature can transform teaching and learning into a holistic and engaging experience. Tackling nearly every aspect of the English Language Arts Standards and the measures they employ, it offers a thorough plan for engaging elementary school students with literature. It explores the benefits and teaching principles behind CCSS, and explains how to apply them to literature. Along with the strengths it has in connection to CCSS, you will learn about the history of children's literature and what both fiction and nonfiction bring to the classroom. You will find plenty of practical applications of the CCSS, including book lists and lesson ideas, along with thorough examples. There is also a wealth of information on the kinds of readers you will encounter and explanations of how to meet their needs. A final section focuses on creating a curriculum, connecting the theory throughout the book with concrete lessons plans and units that cover the main CCSS skill sets.