This simple yet powerful picture book--from a New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife team--tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying. The perfect back-to-school read for every kid, family and classroom! Don't miss the companion book, I Forgive Alex, about the importance of compassion and forgiveness. Inspired by real events, I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. By choosing only pictures to tell their story, the creators underscore the idea that someone can be an ally without having to say a word. With themes of acceptance, kindness, and strength in numbers, this timeless and profound feel-good story will resonate with readers young and old. A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year "This beautifully illustrated story shows young readers how to become caring and supportive upstanders. Love it!" --Trudy Ludwig, bestselling author of The Invisible Boy

A methodology for using philosophy to guide teaching preparation and practice

"Whereas most literacy assessments for children who do not yet read involve decoding and phonics skills, reading wordless picture books presents an opportunity to evaluate and encourage young children's comprehension and meaning-making skills and introduce them to narrative"--

Integrating Social and Emotional Learning with Content builds a framework for creatively and effectively using picture books to integrate social and emotional learning (SEL) with teaching across content areas. Thoughtful book choices in mixed-ability early elementary classrooms have the power to not only support gifted students as they develop academically, but also to provide an opportunity to address their unique social and emotional needs, such as asynchronous development and an early awareness of complex and challenging issues in their lives and the world at large. Picture books are an invaluable tool for this work because the characters, topics, and settings increasingly represent and celebrate the lived experiences of diverse student populations, supporting culturally responsive teaching. Packed with lesson plans, book lists, and more, this book is perfect for teachers in gifted and mixed-ability classrooms as well as homeschooling parents looking to help their children make meaningful connections between their culture, languages, and lived experiences and the academic content and SEL skills they are being taught in the classroom.

The Literacy Workshop: Where Reading and Writing Converge is a first-of-its-kind resource that offers a practical process for creating an integrated literacy workshop using demonstration lessons that align with current curriculum standards. In this forward-thinking book, authors Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker share what they've learned over countless reading and writing workshops and combine into one literacy workshop. The authors demonstrate how you can save valuable classroom time while still empowering students to uncover exciting connections in their learning – leading to stronger, more motivational readers and writers. By weaving the common threads of literacy learning together, you can increase the time your students spend engaged in authentic reading and writing. Inside you'll find the following: A clear, succinct explanation of the literacy workshop structure, how to get started, and how to determine the best time to begin the merge 50+ demonstration lesson plans, appropriate for both primary and intermediate grade levels, that use strategies incorporating elements from recommended fiction and nonfiction anchor texts Substantial, printable resources and online tools to help make this instructional shift as smooth as possible. From the big picture to small, helpful details, The Literacy Workshop will be your guide as you blur the lines between your reading and writing workshops - creating space for students to apply their learning and practice the habits, behaviors, and actions of literate and engaged citizens.

Literacy educators are often unequipped to help young children contend with the world we inhabit, where linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism are not always valued or sustained. In fact, educators are routinely bombarded by programs that position literacy as a simple, one-size-fits-all practice. This resource will help pre-K–3 teachers create and interpret literacy teaching processes, practices, and spaces that honor and extend children’s fullness. It is coauthored by three New York City teachers from ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse schools who share vivid examples and everyday stories from their own classrooms. Grounded in an accessible discussion of the value of culturally sustaining pedagogy and its potential to promote equity in elementary teaching, this book can be used as a practical introduction to CSP practices for early childhood teachers and teacher candidates. Book Features: Focuses on the capabilities of young children and their families, rather than perceived deficits.

Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. The better they can understand themselves and work effectively with others, the greater impact they can make on the world around them. Based on research from the Center for Creative Leadership, Social-Emotional Leadership: A Guide for Youth Development identifies 14 student leadership attributes and offers tools for adults to use to develop social-emotional leadership in youth inside and outside the classroom. Social-Emotional Leadership: Reflection Journal, a blank companion journal for students is also available. ISBN 978-1-60491-987-5

The Sixth Edition of this comprehensive resource helps future and practicing teachers recognize and assess literacy problems, while providing practical, effective intervention strategies to help every student succeed. DeVries thoroughly explores all major components of literacy, offering an overview of pertinent research, suggested methods and tools for diagnosis and assessment, intervention strategies and activities, and technology applications to increase students' skills. Substantively updated to reflect the needs of teachers in increasingly diverse classrooms, the Sixth Edition addresses scaffolding for English language learners and the importance of using technology and online resources. It presents appropriate instructional strategies and tailored teaching ideas to help both teachers and their students. The valuable appendices feature assessment tools, instructions, and visuals for creating and implementing the book's more than 150 instructional strategies and activities, plus other resources. New to the Sixth Edition: Up to date and in line with national, state, and district literacy standards, this edition covers the latest shifts in teaching and the evolution of these standards New material on equity and inclusive literacy instruction, understanding the science of reading, using technology effectively, and reading and writing informational and narrative texts New intervention strategies and activities are featured in all chapters and highlight a stronger technology component Revamped companion website with additional tools, videos, resources, and examples of teachers using assessment strategies

Learn how to use children's books during storytime to approach sensitive topics and increase children's social-emotional wellness-and how to create storytimes that are engaging, participative, and FUN! The emotional challenges many children experience consume the time of teachers, exhaust parents, and sometimes lead children toward behaviors that prohibit social and academic success. Storytime to the rescue! Library storytimes prepare children for kindergarten; storytimes at home and in preschools allow teachers, parents, and children to think and talk about empathy and the importance of honoring your own and others' feelings. In Bringing Heart and Mind into Storytime, Heather McNeil teaches librarians and teachers how to use books to open conversations with children to teach such concepts as patience, tenacity, kindness, and teamwork. McNeil shares research on brain development, social-emotional learning, and the importance of play, but she also emphasizes maintaining the fun of storytime. She recommends songs, action rhymes, games, and crafts that contribute to fun and healthy storytimes. Extensive lists of recommended books will help readers find the right ones for their audience.

Working with Worry is designed to give parents practical tools they can use to support their children as they try to manage their anxiety in today's increasingly stressful world. It is a hands-on workbook that you can turn to for easy-to-understand information, recommendations, and support.Parents will learn about what anxiety looks like in children, reflect on their own experiences with anxiety, and find a wealth of intervention activities to try with their children. The activities use proven techniques including mindfulness, creativity, and self-regulation, and are organized by type of intervention, age, and areas of interest. This book is unlike any other workbook available on this subject because it offers both education and guidance around supporting children, while helping parents understand the need to be self-reflective about their own relationships with anxiety. Key features of this book: Over 60 interventions and activities organized by type, age, and areas of interest An entire chapter dedicated to helping parents understand their own anxiety, their ability to influence their children's experience of anxiety, and also how to "keep their stuff together" A chapter focused on how to combine the gains of parents and their children in a successful maintenance plan for the whole family Easy to understand language from authors who are not only experts offering professional guidance, but are also parents themselves who can relate to the challenges of raising children today