Whether writing a blog entry or a high-stakes test essay, fiction or nonfiction, short story or argumentation, students need to know certain things in order to write effectively.  In 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, Jeff Anderson focuses on developing the concepts and application of ten essential aspects of good writing-motion, models, focus, detail, form, frames, cohesion, energy, words, and clutter.

 

In A Place for Wonder, Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough discuss how to create "a landscape of wonder," a primary classroom where curiosity, creativity, and exploration are encouraged.
 

Grounded in social and cognitive learning theories, the second edition of Apprenticeship in Literacy still details the seven principles of apprenticeship learning and helps K-4 teachers implement and assess guided reading, assisted writing, literature discussion groups, word study lessons, and literacy centers across an integrated curriculum.

 

Multiple-choice testing is an educational reality.  Rather than complain about the negative impact these tests may have on teaching and learning, why not use them to better understand your students' true mathematical knowledge and comprehension?  Maryann Wickett and Eunice Hendrix-Martin show teachers how to move beyond the student's answer- right or wrong-to uncover understanding and/or misconceptions.  By asking a few simple follow-up questions, teachers can learn a great deal about student understanding and make better, more informed instructional decisions.

 

2011

Multiple-choice testing is an educational reality.  Rather than complain about the negative impact these tests may have on teaching and learning, why not use them to better understand your students' true mathematical knowledge and comprehension?  Maryann Wickett and Eunice Hendrix-Martin show teachers how to move beyond the student's answer-right or wrong-to uncover understanding and/or misconceptions.  By asking a few simple follow-up questions, teachers can learn a great deal about student understanding and make better, more informed instructional decisions.

This remarkable book explores the many advantages of using books as bridges between home and school.  It offers teachers strategies for using "touchstone" books to link school literacy conversations and activities with home literacy conversations and activities.

 

In The CAFE Book, Gail Boushey and Joan Moser present a practical, simple way to integrate assessment into daily reading and classroom discussion. The CAFE system, based on research into the habits of proficient readers, is an acronym for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding vocabulary.

 

2010
This book contains a wealth of resources, including a thorough explanation of all the sources of information readers use to solve words; examples of what beginning or struggling readers might do and how teachers can respond; ways in which teachers can prompt struggling readers to use skills and strategies effectively; lessons that model how to use the sources of information and how to teach strategies, such as checking and confirming, visualizing, questioning, inferring, and others; ways to obtain ongoing assessment data consistent with strategy teaching; suggestions for organization and management; and practical answers to commonly asked questions from parents.
 

Caught in the Middle offers teachers a richly textured picture of the world of middle school students.  David Booth describes who middle students are, explains why fostering their voice is important, and discusses how to create a community of literacy partners.  He shows teachers how to model writing, incorporate picture books, promote reader engagement and comprehension, interact with student journals, prompt discussion and self-assessment, and more.

Doing Literary Criticism gives each theory its own chapter with a brief, teacher-friendly overview and a history of the approach, along with an in depth discussion of its benefits and limitations.  Each chapter also includes ideas for classroom practices and activities.