From Debbie Diller, author of numerous best-selling books and videos on literacy work stations and small group reading instruction, comes another practical resource filled with ideas you can use immediately to better manage your classroom and support student learning and independence.

In "Spaces & Places "you'll find a wealth of full-color photos from all sorts of classroom spaces in PreK-5th grade, including well-organized areas for whole group and small group reading instruction, classroom libraries, literacy work stations, teacher desks, and storage areas. You'll love the "before and after" pictures and the step-by-step processes outlined for organizing your furniture and cabinets, setting up your room space by space, and using your walls thoughtfully. Debbie has even documented how to pack your room at the end of the year to save time next fall (so you can focus on thinking about instruction) and what to do if you must move all your belongings.

Through pictures and text, this unique visual reference answers tough questions educators ask, such as: What do I really need in my room and what's the best way to set it up?How does my physical classroom impact student learning?How can I find the space I need to teach more effectively? What can I get rid of and how?Where do I put all my stuff?

Charts, reproducible forms, motivating quotes, a list of shopping sources, and reflection questions are included, along with a section outlining ten specific suggestions for on-going staff development. Whether or not you implement literacy work stations in your classroom, "Spaces & Places "includes everything you need to look deeply at classroom space and how it supports instruction.

In her 30 years as an educator, Debbie Diller has closely examined classroom practice, asking "Why? What's the purpose?" Watching primary students work successfully at literacy work stations, she wondered with teachers, "Why don't we have upper-grade students doing this? Could we kick it up a notch?"

In her new book, Debbie shows teachers of grades three-to-six how to structure their classrooms so that all students can be successful doing meaningful independent work using literacy work stations.

"Practice with Purpose" offers guidance on establishing routines for independent reading and response writing, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to set up and manage a variety of hands-on literacy work stations appropriate for intermediate students. Each chapter includes: how to introduce the station;innovative ways to use materials;what to model to guarantee independence;how to troubleshoot;assessment and accountability ideas;how the station supports student achievement on state tests;reflection questions for professional development.

The extensive appendix includes time-saving tools such as management board icons, graphic organizers, task cards, and recommended Web sites and children's literature.

In her previous books, "Literacy Work Stations" and "Practice with Purpose," Debbie Diller showed teachers how to productively occupy the "rest of the class" while meeting with small groups. Now Debbie turns her attention to the groups themselves and the teacher's role in small-group instruction. "Making the Most of Small Groups" grapples with difficult questions regarding small-group instruction in elementary classrooms such as: How do I find the time? How can I be more organized?How do I form groups? How can I differentiate to meet the needs of all of my students?

Structured around the five essential reading elements--comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary--the book provides practical tips, sample lessons, lesson plans and templates, suggestions for related literacy work stations, and connections to whole-group instruction. In addition to ideas to use immediately in the classroom, Debbie provides an overview of relevant research and reflection questions for professional conversations.

Debbie Diller has revolutionized literacy instruction in countless classrooms over the years with her seminal books (Literacy Work Stations, Practice with Purpose, and Spaces & Places) on how to effectively use literacy work stations to engage students in critical literacy learning. In Growing Independent Learners, she provides a comprehensive guide-with more than 400 full-color photos-to help you plan instruction focused on literacy standards, organize your classroom for maximum benefit, and lead your students to independence through whole-group lessons, small-group focus, and partner learning at literacy stations. The first four chapters lay the foundation with planning, organizing, and instruction that are essential for success with literacy work stations. From creating a model classroom and developing planning tools to using anchor charts, Debbie gives you creative ideas for making the most of your classroom environment to support student independence. Later chapters focus on standards-based instruction built around key reading, writing, and foundational skills as well as speaking, listening, and language standards. Each of these chapters provides the following: Detailed explanations of each focal standard's importance and real-world application Planning tools that include academic vocabulary, plans for whole-group instruction, and suggestions for literacy work stations Complete whole-group lesson plans that you can use and modify again and again Connections to help you extend the lessons into other areas of daily instruction, including independent reading time, small-group instruction, and work stations Mentor texts to use during whole group, small group, or stations Teaching tips that can help build skills from grade to grade Growing Independent Learners will help you create a vibrant classroom filled with independent learners. This book will quickly become an essential resource for any teacher who believes, as Debbie does, that all children can learn to work independently in a classroom that's well organized and mindfully planned.

Teach students how to practice reading skills independently - so learning sticks Simply Stations: Independent Reading shows how to ensure that elementary students are purposefully and effectively practicing reading comprehension, reading fluency, selecting books, decoding, inference, and summarizing every day. Your students will soon be purposefully engaged and making critical steps to owning their learning. Debbie Diller has been refining literacy stations (sometimes called centers) for more than 40 years, working with thousands of teachers and students. In this book, she guides you step-by-step through planning for instruction that incorporates reading standards, setting up and launching independent reading stations, varying and refreshing content, to reflection and ongoing modification. What stands out in this book is the full integration of instruction; Debbie shows how whole-group lessons transfer to stations work so students are practicing key skills independently - and gives you everything needed for success: Recommendations by grade level at every step, including grade-appropriate materials and book choices, fiction and informational texts, for each station; Whole-group lesson plans, differentiated by grade level and based on key reading standards, to introduce and support independent and partner work; On-the-spot formative assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips; Ideas to improve English Language Learners' reading skills, including online Spanish-language materials; 30 time-saving downloadable resources for teachers and students to ensure success; and Dozens, real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand. Simply Stations: Independent Reading gives you invaluable tips, solutions, and insight that can transform the way your students learn and practice reading skills. It's time to boost the impact of your literacy stations!

This book will help teachers solve the dilemma: What does the rest of my class do while I'm working with a small reading group? Debbie Diller offers practical suggestions for over a dozen literacy work stations that link to instruction and make preparation and management easy for teachers. Learn how to set up work stations, how to manage them, and how to keep them going throughout the year.

Each chapter includes:

• how to introduce each station;
• materials to include at each station;
• what to model;
• how to solve problems;
• how to differentiate;
• how to assess and keep students accountable;
• reflection questions for professional development.

Materials in both English and Spanish are provided in the extensive resource section. Throughout the book the author has included photos of literacy workstations from a variety of classrooms in which she has worked to illustrate the methods discussed in the text.

Teach students how to practice reading & conversation skills independently - so learning sticks Simply Stations: Partner Reading shows how to ensure that elementary students are purposefully and effectively practicing reading comprehension, reading fluency, retelling, real-world connections, inference, and decoding every day. Your students will soon be purposefully engaged and making critical steps to owning their learning. Debbie Diller has been refining literacy stations (sometimes called literacy centers) for more than 40 years, working with thousands of teachers and students. In this book, she guides you step-by-step through planning for instruction that incorporates reading standards, setting up and launching partner reading stations, varying and refreshing content, to reflection and ongoing modification. What stands out in this book is the full integration of instruction; Debbie shows how whole-group lessons transfer to stations work so students are practicing key skills independently - and gives you everything needed for success: Recommendations by grade level at every step, including grade-appropriate materials and book choices, fiction and informational texts, for each station; Whole-group lesson plans, differentiated by grade level and based on key literacy standards, to introduce and support independent and partner work; On-the-spot formative assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips; Ideas to improve English Language Learners reading skills', including online Spanish-language materials; 50 time-saving downloadable resources for teachers and students to ensure success; and Dozens of full-color, real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand. Simply Stations: Partner Reading gives you invaluable tips, solutions, and insight that can transform the way your students learn and practice reading skills. It's time to boost the impact of your literacy stations!

Small groups accelerate student reading growth Elementary students need personal attention from a teacher and a connection with their peers to progress as readers. Small groups offer both! When you work with just a few kids at a time on skills specific to their assets and goals, you provide a safe, trusting environment that encourages students to challenge themselves. Organized by developmental reading stages-emergent readers, early readers, transitional readers, and fluent readers-this timely handbook shows how to engage students where they are, regardless of grade level, and help them progress to the next stage. You'll learn how to assess student skills and needs, flexibly organize groups, plan and teach lessons, select appropriate texts, and differentiate instruction to give every reader a pathway to success. Features include: * Phonics and phonological awareness, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension strategies and tools for each reading stage * At-a-glance charts for assessing current skill level and identifying next instructional steps * 70 downloadable teacher and student resources for planning and instructional use * Dozens of easy adaptations for use in online learning * Over 100 full-color photographs so you can see small groups in action * Reflection prompts and guiding questions for personal and PLC use Whatever your instructional setting, you and your students need the relationships that are best forged in small groups. With this book, you'll be able to differentiate instruction in a way that's manageable and sustainable - and build those relationships that help young readers achieve success.

Teach students how to practice listening comprehension skills independently - so learning sticks Simply Stations: Listening and Speaking shows how to ensure that elementary students are purposefully and effectively practicing listening comprehension, accountable talk, phonological awareness, oral language, and vocabulary skills every day. Your students will soon be purposefully engaged and making critical steps to owning their learning. Debbie Diller has been refining literacy stations (sometimes called centers) for more than 40 years, working with thousands of teachers and students. In this book, she guides you step-by-step through planning for instruction that incorporates literacy standards, setting up and launching listening and speaking stations, varying and refreshing content throughout the year, to reflection and ongoing modification. What stands out in this book is the full integration of instruction; Debbie shows how whole-group lessons transfer to stations work so students are practicing key skills independently - and gives you everything needed for success: Recommendations by grade level at every step, including grade-appropriate materials and audio resources for each station; Whole-group lesson plans, differentiated by grade level and based on key literacy standards, to introduce and support partner work; On-the-spot formative assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips; Ideas to improve English Language Learner's language acquisition, including online Spanish-language materials; 30 time-saving downloadable resources for teachers and students to ensure success; and Dozens of full-color, real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand. Simply Stations: Listening and Speaking gives you invaluable tips, solutions, and insight that can transform the way your students learn and practice listening and speaking skills. It's time to boost the impact of your literacy stations!

Teach students how to practice writing skills independently - so learning sticks Simply Stations: Writing shows how to ensure that elementary students are purposefully and effectively practicing pre-writing, storyboarding, peer editing, revising, word banks, and punctuation and spelling every day. Your students will soon be purposefully engaged and making critical steps to owning their learning. Debbie Diller has been refining literacy stations (sometimes called centers) for more than 40 years, working with thousands of teachers and students. In this book, she guides you step-by-step through planning for instruction that incorporates literacy standards, setting up and launching writing stations, varying and refreshing content, to reflection and ongoing modification. What stands out in this book is the full integration of instruction; Debbie shows how whole-group lessons transfer to stations work so students are practicing key skills independently - and gives you everything needed for success: Recommendations by grade level at every step, including grade-appropriate materials and writing resources for each station Whole-group lesson plans, differentiated by grade level and based on key literacy standards, to introduce and support partner work; On-the-spot formative assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips; Ideas to improve English Language Learners' writing skills, including online Spanish-language materials; 40 time-saving downloadable resources for teachers and students to ensure success; and Dozens of full-color, real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand. Simply Stations: Writing gives you invaluable tips, solutions, and insight that can transform the way your students learn and practice writing skills. It's time to boost the impact of your literacy stations!