Volunteer tutors can make a tremendous difference in the reading skills and the lives of young children. This comprehensive tutorial manual has been developed from the Book Buddies program of Charlottesville, Virginia, the first large-scale model to mobilize hundreds of community volunteers in an alternative one-on-one intervention for children at risk for reading failure. A complete how-to resource for both trainers and tutors in one accessible volume, the book provides guidelines for setting up a successful tutorial program in the early grades and presents a field-tested lesson format for individualized instruction in reading, writing, and phonics. The authors clearly describe how to conduct a wealth of enjoyable reading activities and exercises with students, illustrating each chapter with real-life examples and lively line drawings. Appendices feature reproducible assessment and lesson planning forms, alphabet cards and charts, recommendations and sources for children's books and other materials, and a helpful glossary.

In schools, much of the responsibility of implementing interventions to improve outcomes for students falls on teachers, which may lead to capacity and resource issues. One solution to this problem is the use of Peer-Mediated Interventions (PMIs), which include a variety of approaches that utilize similar individuals to the target student (e.g., students in school-based interventions) as interventionists or behavior change agents. Although there is a wealth of research to support the effectiveness of students as interventionists, peers remain an under-utilized resource in school-based intervention delivery. Peers as Change Agents is a comprehensive resource for school-based professionals working to incorporate PMIs across academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions. The text synthesizes the current research on school-based PMIs and distills the literature into concrete strategies that can be easily implemented in school-based contexts. Building on the foundational principles of PMIs, the authors reconceptualize this work into three new categories: Peer-Mediated Academic Interventions; Peer-Mediated Behavioral Interventions; and Peer-Mediated Group Supports, to better address students' unique needs. Chapters also highlight the advantages of PMIs, including their potential for cultural relevance. As school staff continue to grapple with the practical challenges of ensuring equity in student outcomes, Peers as Change Agents provides educators, school psychologists, and counsellors effective and efficient tools to support students as change agents in their own learning communities.

Join the members of Project PAW (Pets at Work) in another paw-some adventure! The members of Project PAW (Pets At Work), Meg, Amanda, Blanca, and Drew are busy spreading the word about the amazing abilities of working animals! After Meg and her seizure-response dog, Chance, deliver a presentation at the local library, the group learns that kids who have difficulty reading show more confidence when reading to a pet. Project PAW is determined to find a shelter dog that could become a reading companion for the library, but what if their best pick for pet isn’t the furry friend they imagined? Find out in this illustrated chapter book fit for pet lovers!

This practitioner resource and course text has given thousands of K-12 teachers evidence-based tools for helping students--particularly those at risk for reading difficulties--understand and acquire new knowledge from text. The authors present a range of scientifically validated instructional techniques and activities, complete with helpful classroom examples and sample lessons. The book describes ways to assess comprehension, build the skills that good readers rely on, and teach students to use multiple comprehension strategies flexibly and effectively. Each chapter features thought-provoking discussion questions. Reproducible lesson plans and graphic organizers can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. New to This Edition *Chapters on content-area literacy, English language learners, and intensive interventions. *Incorporates current research on each component of reading comprehension. *Discusses ways to align instruction with the Common Core State Standards. *Additional instructional activities throughout.

This book examines evidence-based practices that facilitate effective teaching to ensure optimum educational achievement for school-age students. It identifies key strategies with extensive research evidence that confirms their effectiveness in improving student outcomes. The book offers guidelines for teachers to use in distinguishing between strategies that are evidence-based and those with little or no supporting evidence. It describes common instructional strategies often found in schools despite having little evidence to support their effectiveness. In addition, the book identifies eight key evidence-based teaching practices that can be directly implemented by classroom teachers, reviews the theoretical and research base of each of these strategies, and provides guidelines for special and general education teachers on how to apply them most effectively, with links to video examples of their use in classrooms. The text also examines common barriers to the use of evidence-based practices in schools. It explores implications for teacher education, focusing on training educators to identify and implement evidence-based strategies effectively, avoiding those lacking evidence, even if they are popular in schools. Essential Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies is a must-have resource for researchers, professionals, and graduate students in educational psychology, child and school psychology, and social work who are interested in learning about and implementing effective teaching methods that improve student engagement and academic achievement, strengthen social-emotional learning, and reduce school dropout rates.