The Read Aloud Scaffold

This compendium of outstanding read-aloud choices for grades pre-K–3 will enrich and extend content area instruction, helping busy teachers to meet curriculum requirements within the confines of their busy schedules. It's a familiar and unfortunate story: educators everywhere are being asked to do more teaching with less—less money, less staff, and less time. One easy way to provide more content area instruction to very young readers is by scaffolding beneficial learning subjects within memorable read-aloud activities. This augments the instructional curriculum and keeps learning fun—without adding to the educator's already-full plate. Read-Aloud Scaffold: Best Books to Enhance Content Area Curriculum, Grades Pre-K–3 offers teachers and librarians over 700 content area connections through carefully selected, recently published children's trade books. These selections include fiction and non-fiction titles that represent outstanding read-aloud choices that will augment the instructional curriculum, covering subjects ranging from history to holidays to special events, and from biographies and memoirs to poetry and character education. "A Closer Look" suggests outstanding read-aloud choices related to key units in the curriculum and features discussion points, cross-curricular activities, writing prompts, and related online and print materials.

"Teachers are becoming increasingly concerned that an overreliance on leveling and readability formulas hinders students' choices and potential to be engaged and interested in what they are reading. Fortunately, this user-friendly book shows you how to break away from this approach by using Bookmatch, an instructional tool that empowers students through choice and independence while showing them how to strategically and effectively select "just-right" books. In doing so, you will learn to set up and manage an effective independent reading time in which students truly engage in the practice of reading while building a positive attitude. Bookmatch is a tool that is easily incorporated into your existing curriculum and with learners of varying ability levels, and with Bookmatch, you'll be able to assist in the independent reading progress made by each student and support their comprehension and self-awareness as literacy learners."--PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE.

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.

Use storybook reading to build the early literacy competencies that young children need to become successful readers and learners. Strategies and sample interactions will help you to strengthen children's knowledge of written language, vocabulary, phonology, the alphabet, narrative discourse, and the world around them. Also included are lists of additional storybooks for use in the classroom. As you develop children's abilities and interests in these areas, you will ease their transition to more advanced levels of reading and learning.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

Scaffolding Literacy describes an alternative approach to literacy teaching in primary schools based on the principles of explicit teaching regarding how authors use words to convey meaning. The book provides a detailed description of the scaffolding literacy teaching sequence and related strategies developed at the University of Canberra (Australia) over two decades. It explains why the scaffolding literacy approach enables learners to understand the reading, language studies, and writing tasks assigned to them in schools better.

Unicorn and Yeti are still a little new to the friendship-thing, but they are trying hard to work out how to share the things they like to do, for instance taking turns on a swing, or sharing a sparkly rock--or combining the peaches that Unicorn likes with Yeti's ice cream to make a special treat they can share together.

How can educators and other professionals caring for children extend the learning potential of read alouds? This book is designed to help teachers, special education specialists, and speech-language pathologists achieve two objectives: 1) how to interact with children around books in ways that are instructive in nature but also responsive to children’s verbal contributions; and 2) how to use literature, informational texts, and poetry to achieve the goals of the Common Core State Standards. The authors provide specific recommendations for structuring read aloud routines in the early childhood classroom, making the read aloud interactive, using instructional strategies that enhance children’s vocabulary and content knowledge, and supporting and extending children’s verbal contributions through scaffolding during the activity. This practitioner?friendly text also includes methods for supporting children with special needs, as well as English language learners. Book Features: Recommendations for how to choose quality books in each of the three genres—informational, literature, and poetry. The most useful interactive?instructional strategies. The types of visual supports and props that can augment the read aloud. Methods for extended learning opportunities. Examples and excerpts from actual read alouds to illustrate the methods. Read aloud activities that align with the Common Core State Standards. The benefits and challenges of using digital texts “This book is a great read, filled with raise-the-bar opportunities for teaching and learning with literature, information text, poetry, and ebooks. If you choose to teach like this, children won’t say they didn’t learn anything in school today.” —Sharon Walpole, Ph.D., professor, University of Delaware “Offers exceptionally comprehensive and clear guidance about developing young children's oral language and thinking through conversations during read alouds.” —Judith A. Schickedanz, Boston University “The teaching examples, particularly for supporting children’s thinking, will be useful for new and seasoned teachers alike!” —Tanya Christ, Oakland University