"Professional learning communities (PLCs) support educators in generating stronger instructional practices and progressing student learning. Due to the large literacy gaps in students' education, the teaching and learning of literacy is a major concern of these collaborative teams. In Reading and Writing Strategies for the Secondary English Classroom in a PLC, authors Daniel M. Argentar, Katherine A. N. Gillies, Maureen M. Rubenstein, and Brian R. Wise provide grades 6-12 English language arts (ELA) teachers effective strategies to combat these literacy concerns and improve students' skill development. This book aims to prompt conversations on how to approach literacy development with the goal of promoting academic growth for all students-both struggling and advanced. By reading this book, secondary ELA teachers will discover practical methods to improve students' literacy skills and learn how to build a culture of collaboration"--

With the advent of the Common Core State Standards and high expectations with regard to content literacy, some secondary teachers are scrambling for what to do and how to do it. This book provides an accessible plan for implementing content literacy and offers 20 research-based literacy strategies designed to help students meet those standards and become expert readers.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

Confidently lead early literacy improvement in your professional learning community (PLC). Aligned to the Every Teacher Is a Literacy Teacher series, this results-focused guide outlines how to take urgent action to address deficiencies and increase literacy rates. Learn how to bring a new level of focus to your teacher teams and help them do the important daily work of ensuring every student successfully reads and writes at or beyond grade level. Understand the importance and goals of literacy-focused instruction in an elementary setting. Gain specific suggestions for four types of leaders: (1) district, (2) school, (3) coach, and (4) teacher. Help collaborative teams emphasize literacy knowledge and reading and writing skills in a curriculum's essential standards. Create effective data-inquiry practices that inform team decision-making about interventions and extensions. Facilitate high-quality literacy instruction using the gradual release of responsibility framework. Develop equity in literacy instructional strategies to ensure growth and development for all. Contents: Introduction: Leaders of Literacy Chapter 1: Establish Clarity About Student Learning Expectations Chapter 2: Examine Assessment Options for Literacy Chapter 3: Create a Learning Progression to Guide Instruction and Assessment Chapter 4: Develop Collective Understanding of Learning Expectations Chapter 5: Respond to Student Data to Ensure All Students Learn Chapter 6: Design Lessons Using the Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework Chapter 7: Plan for High-Quality Instruction in Literacy Chapter 8: Select Appropriate Instructional Strategies Chapter 9: Consider Equity in Literacy Epilogue Appendix A: Reference Points, Templates, and Tools Appendix B: List of Figures and Tables References and Resources Index

Prepare students to succeed with increasingly sophisticated reading and writing challenges. Designed for teachers of grades 4-5, this resource helps readers address the pivotal shift in learning expectations that occurs during the upper elementary years. Myriad templates, tools, and strategies are included to support collaborative teams as they work to establish a rich and robust plan for quality literacy instruction, assessment, and intervention. Use this resource to inspire fourth- and fifth-graders to excel in reading and writing: Understand the role PLCs and collaborative teams play in literacy development and reading comprehension strategies. Obtain strategies and tools, such as the pre-unit protocol, for unpacking and clarifying literacy standards. Explore adaptable, research-based instructional strategies, and learn how to plan high-quality literacy instruction that boosts student reading and writing skills. Examine the four components of the gradual release model--(1) focused instruction, (2) guided instruction, (3) collaborative learning, and (4) independent learning. Observe how to collaboratively score assessments and conduct effective data inquiry and analysis. Study the powerful impact literacy has on student engagement and inclusivity. Contents: Introduction: Every Teacher Is a Literacy Teacher Chapter 1: Establish Clarity About Student Learning Expectations Chapter 2: Examine Assessment Options for Literacy Chapter 3: Create a Learning Progression to Guide Instruction and Assessment Chapter 4: Develop Collective Understanding of Learning Expectations Chapter 5: Respond to Data to Ensure All Students Learn Chapter 6: Differentiate Instruction With Gradual Release of Responsibility Chapter 7: Plan High-Quality Literacy Instruction Chapter 8: Select Appropriate Instructional Strategies Chapter 9: Consider Equity in Literacy Epilogue Appendix A: List of Figures and Tables Appendix B: Templates and Tools Appendix C: Process for Prioritizing Standards Appendix D: Depth of Knowledge Overview Appendix E: Essential Understandings and Guiding Questions References and Resources Index

Practical and rich in resources, this book provides a roadmap to monitoring, evaluating, and implementing effective literacy instruction in grades PK-12. Designed for district and school leaders as well as literacy coaches and consultants, this book contains all the strategies, guidance, and tools you’ll need to monitor the effectiveness of literacy instruction in your school or system. Top literacy experts Angela Peery and Tracey Shiel share concise, well-researched information about how to identify enriched literacy environments, what constitutes well-designed literacy lessons, and the components of effective literacy programs at each grade level. Chapters cover reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as collaboration, technology, and more, and offer adaptable strategies for different environments. Tools such as checklists and conversation frames are included to help busy leaders and administrators effectively monitor literacy instruction and provide constructive, thorough feedback to teachers. Each chapter features: Check-Up Tools to review documents and observe instruction Check-In Tools to guide your conversations and feedback given to teachers Reflective Questions for system and school leaders and instructional coaches.

Accelerate learning with high-impact strategies. Beginning and veteran teachers alike will find insights and practices they can use immediately. The authors dovetail their proven instructional process of chunk, chew, check, change with before-, during-, and after-reading strategies in this must-have guide for powerful literacy instruction. No matter what content area you teach, this book will help you develop the strategic reader in every student. K–8 teachers who are interested in high-impact teaching strategies will: Learn how to incorporate the literacy triangle's three points—reading, discussing, and writing—into instruction for any subject Cut through the conflict caused by the reading wars and gain clarity on the science behind effective, well-rounded literacy instruction Help students enjoy reading, gain comprehension, and build reading stamina Get differentiation ideas for scaffolding and enriching each strategy using best practices in literacy instruction Discover how to engage students in opportunities for making meaning, choosing texts, and leading discussions Understand how setting a student's purpose for reading can encourage focus, engagement, deeper conversations, and a motivation to keep reading with literacy strategies Contents: Introduction Part 1: Planning for Quality Literacy Instruction Chapter 1: Teaching Literacy Effectively Chapter 2: Choosing the "Right" Text Chapter 3: Using the Literacy Triangle to Drastically Improve Literacy Part 2: Implementing Quality Literacy Instruction Chapter 4: Preparing for Success--Before Reading Chapter 5: Staying Focused on the Goal--During Reading Chapter 6: Consolidating With Discussion and Writing--After Reading Chapter 7: Bringing It All Together Conclusion References and Resources Index

"Every student deserves a great teacher, not by chance, but by design" — Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, & John Hattie What if someone slipped you a piece of paper listing the literacy practices that ensure students demonstrate more than a year’s worth of learning for a year spent in school? Would you keep the paper or throw it away? We think you’d keep it. And that’s precisely why acclaimed educators Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie wrote Visible Learning for Literacy. They know teachers will want to apply Hattie’s head-turning synthesis of more than 15 years of research involving millions of students, which he used to identify the instructional routines that have the biggest impact on student learning. These practices are "visible" for teachers and students to see, because their purpose has been made clear, they are implemented at the right moment in a student’s learning, and their effect is tangible. Yes, the "aha" moments made visible by design. With their trademark clarity and command of the research, and dozens of classroom scenarios to make it all replicable, these authors apply Hattie’s research, and show you: How to use the right approach at the right time, so that you can more intentionally design classroom experiences that hit the surface, deep, and transfer phases of learning, and more expertly see when a student is ready to dive from surface to deep. Which routines are most effective at specific phases of learning, including word sorts, concept mapping, close reading, annotating, discussion, formative assessment, feedback, collaborative learning, reciprocal teaching, and many more. Why the 8 mind frames for teachers apply so well to curriculum planning and can inspire you to be a change agent in students’ lives—and part of a faculty that embraces the idea that visible teaching is a continual evaluation of one’s impact on student’s learning. "Teachers, it’s time we embrace the evidence, update our classrooms, and impact student learning in wildly positive ways," say Doug, Nancy, and John. So let’s see Visible Learning for Literacy for what it is: the book that renews our teaching and reminds us of our influence, just in time.

Do you find that preparing for standardized tests interferes with teaching advanced thinking, reading, and writing skills in a meaningful way? Do you want to balance test preparation with more creative activities? Success in school and beyond depends on one’s ability to read fluently, write coherently, and think critically. This handbook uses the workshop model for exponentially increasing adolescents’ abilities in these three key areas. This practical guide addresses the daily running and practice of a workshop-based classroom, using research and the author’s own experiences to illustrate how to establish a workshop that: Fosters lasting learning while reinforcing the skills needed for standardized tests Teaches audience and purpose as a vehicle to style and structure Provides a supportive and lively environment in which students are comfortable enough to take risks and share original ideas Try Urbanski’s approach to teaching literacy analysis and mentoring student writers, and discover just how rewarding the workshop experience can be!

Why you need a writing revolution in your classroom and how to lead it The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focusing on specific techniques that match their needs and by providing them with targeted feedback. Insurmountable as the challenges faced by many students may seem, The Writing Revolution can make a dramatic difference. And the method does more than improve writing skills. It also helps: Boost reading comprehension Improve organizational and study skills Enhance speaking abilities Develop analytical capabilities The Writing Revolution is as much a method of teaching content as it is a method of teaching writing. There's no separate writing block and no separate writing curriculum. Instead, teachers of all subjects adapt the TWR strategies and activities to their current curriculum and weave them into their content instruction. But perhaps what's most revolutionary about the TWR method is that it takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.