There is a big difference between assigning complex texts and teaching complex texts No matter what discipline you teach, learn how to use complexity as a dynamic, powerful tool for sliding the right text in front of your students’ at just the right time. Updates to this new edition include How-to’s for measuring countable features of any written work A rubric for analyzing the complexity of both literary and informational texts Classroom scenarios that show the difference between a healthy struggle and frustration The authors’ latest thinking on teacher modeling, close reading, scaffolded small group reading, and independent reading

Tough Talk, Tough Texts is a catalyst for reminding all of us who work with young people about the danger of throwing away the lifeblood of our students' interior worlds and our own dreams of changing the world for the better.... Tough Talk, Tough Texts insists that we offer students books that are not simply larger, bulkier Hallmark cards but that instead challenge them to consider difficult issues, pushing them to think deeply and grow. Jimmy Santiago Baca Strategic reading, critical examination, and civil discourse aren't just for college preparedness-they are life skills. In Tough Talk, Tough Texts Cindy O'Donnell-Allen shares small-group instruction whose goal is to give kids the ability not merely to succeed academically, but to change their world. This isn't impractical idealism. Cindy shows step-by-step how to leverage challenging texts on challenging issues to maximize engagement and increase students' agency in reading and in life. Best of all, she shares all the know-how and nitty-gritty you'll need: scaffolds for whole-class and small-group discussions methods for grouping students, setting norms, and using response tools strategies that sustain independent discussions and document them multiple techniques for summative assessment reproducible resources such as handouts, assignment sheets, and scoring guides. Tough Talk, Tough Texts is about helping students grow as readers as they use texts to answer the big questions about themselves, their peers, and their world. "With careful preparation," writes Cindy O'Donnell-Allen, "students can learn to pose and discuss such questions, to listen and respond with empathy, and to implement strategies that will allow them to become more critical and strategic readers, writers, and thinkers."

Includes CD-Rom ′Intriguing and timely...I whole heartedly recommend this text to teacher educators and their trainees, certainly across English and the Arts, but arguably to all engaged in considering critical pedagogy across the curriculum′ - ESCalate `This is a very timely book, firmly rooted in authentic, albeit visionary, classroom practice, that has much to offer to teachers of all subjects, but should be particularly welcomed by English and media colleagues′ - English Drama Media `Heaving with ideas...outstanding lesson ideas and inspiring work from students′ - The Secondary English Magazine `I really enjoyed working my way through this book...The book is accompanied by a DVD organised into chapters which correspond to those in the book, and it was great to see the ideas and schemes referred to in the text come alive. The schemes have been included which makes it even easier to adapt the work to fit the technology and resources available in your own school..All teachers of media would benefit from browsing this book′ - Learning & Teaching Update This book is for secondary English, Media, and ICT teachers who want to develop practical media work and media literacy across the curriculum. It is ideal for secondary English and media teachers and curriculum leaders in secondary schools, as well as ICT teachers and co-ordinators, PCGE English/Media students, and researchers working on media, English and ICT projects. A range of case studies are presented which show how digital media work, from video editing to computer game authoring, can be developed in schools, drawing on children′s own cultural knowledge. It also shows the benefits of such projects in terms of learning outcomes and increased self-esteem for a range of learners. The book comes with a CD-Rom of children′s work from the various case study projects, exhibiting the high standard of moving image work, animations and computer games that can be produced with the help of this text. With an integrated approach drawing together practice, theory and research, the book will help teachers to plan for and develop their own media projects in school. It offers advice on integrating media work across the curriculum (in English and media classes as well as in ICT and citizenship), and presents a model of progression which shows how learning can develop from the first years of secondary school through to GCSE level. In line with current government initiatives to open up curriculum boundaries, the book shows how to plan for longer periods of time for these projects.

Provides an easy to follow format that fits into many unit plans that promote critical thinking, text analysis, and assessment. Teachers can use this additionional material to gain further insight in meeting the needs of all learners with the complex texts of the Common Core Standards. Includes a CD that provides additional high-interest texts, both informational and literary that can be implemented into instruction.

Work with students at all levels to help them read novels Whole Novels is a practical, field-tested guide to implementing a student-centered literature program that promotes critical thinking and literary understanding through the study of novels with middle school students. Rather than using novels simply to teach basic literacy skills and comprehension strategies, Whole Novels approaches literature as art. The book is fully aligned with the Common Core ELA Standards and offers tips for implementing whole novels in various contexts, including suggestions for teachers interested in trying out small steps in their classrooms first. Includes a powerful method for teaching literature, writing, and critical thinking to middle school students Shows how to use the Whole Novels approach in conjunction with other programs Includes video clips of the author using the techniques in her own classroom This resource will help teachers work with students of varying abilities in reading whole novels.

Reading fluency has been identified as a key component of proficient reading. Research has consistently demonstrated significant and substantial correlations between reading fluency and overall reading achievement. Despite the great potential for fluency to have a significant outcome on students’ reading achievement, it continues to be not well understood by teachers, school administrators and policy makers. The chapters in this volume examine reading fluency from a variety of perspectives. The initial chapter sketches the history of fluency as a literacy instruction component. Following chapters examine recent studies and approaches to reading fluency, followed by chapters that explore actual fluency instruction models and the impact of fluency instruction. Assessment of reading fluency is critical for monitoring progress and identifying students in need of intervention. Two articles on assessment, one focused on word recognition and the other on prosody, expand our understanding of fluency measurement. Finally, a study from Turkey explores the relationship of various reading competencies, including fluency, in an integrated model of reading. Our hope for this volume is that it may spark a renewed interest in research into reading fluency and fluency instruction and move toward making fluency instruction an even more integral part of all literacy instruction.

Teaching Challenging Texts shows how to increase reading comprehension and enhance student engagement, even with the most challenging texts. Every chapter features ready-to-use, research-based lessons, replete with explicit instructions, handouts, Common Core correlations, and assessments. "Exploring the Future" features fiction by George Orwell, Suzanne Collins, and William Golding; nonfiction by Philip Zimbardo, Stephen Pinker, Abraham Lincoln, Jared Diamond, Dan Ariely, and Ray Kurzweil; images from several films, an old television commercial; and classical and contemporary music. "Understanding the Power of One" features fiction by Victor Hugo and Lori Halse Anderson; nonfiction by Phillis Wheatley, Sojourner Truth, and Edith Hamilton; a young adult book on archaeology, an animated film from Walt Disney, and an episode from Saturday Night Live. An extensive list of free resources and correlations to the Common Core allow teachers to "teach on the cheap." Teaching Difficult Texts brimswith "relevant and robust" lessons for a new generation.

Do your students often struggle with difficult novels and other challenging texts? Do they think one reading of a work is more than enough? Do they primarily comprehend at a surface-level, and are they frequently unwilling or unable to discover the deeper meaning found in multi-layered works? Do you feel that you are doing more work teaching the novel than they are reading it? Building on twenty years of teaching language arts, Kelly Gallagher, author of Reading Reasons, shows how students can be taught to successfully read a broad range of challenging and difficult texts with deeper levels of comprehension. In Deeper Reading, Kelly shares effective, classroom-tested strategies that enable your students to: accept the challenge of reading difficult books;move beyond a "first draft" understanding of the text into deeper levels of reading; consciously monitor their comprehension as they read;employ effective fix-it strategies when their comprehension begins to falter;use meaningful collaboration to achieve deeper understanding of texts;think metaphorically to deepen their reading comprehension;reach deeper levels of reflection by understanding the relevance the book holds for themselves and their peers;use critical thinking skills to analyze real-world issues. Kelly also provides guidance on effective lesson planning that incorporates strategies for deeper reading. Funny, poignant, and packed with practical ideas that work in real classrooms, Deeper Reading is a valuable resource for any teacher whose students need new tools to uncover the riches found in complex texts.

A lyrical picture book memoir of one boy and his beloved grandmother, from award-winning author Lester L. Laminack. Every Saturday, a young boy rides his bicycle up and down country roads, past farms and a filling station, until he reaches his Mammaw's house. She is waiting for him. There, the young boy helps her. She picks tomatoes and he pushes the lawnmower through the dew-wet grass. But the best part of the day is helping his Mammaw make teacakes from scratch and eating the hot, sweet cakes fresh from the oven. Lester L. Laminack's richly detailed prose perfectly portrays the special relationship of a young boy and his grandmother. Award-winning illustrator Chris Soentpiet's remarkably detailed watercolor images beautifully capture the setting.

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