"Why should I read?" Can your students answer that question? Do they have trouble seeing the importance that reading may have in their lives? Are they lacking motivation, both in academic and recreational reading? Do you think you can effectively teach reading strategies if students don't understand the benefits of literacy?

In "Reading Reasons, " Kelly Gallagher offers a series of mini-lessons specifically tailored to motivate middle and high school students to read, and in doing so, to help them understand the importance and relevance reading will take in their lives. This book introduces and explains in detail nine specific "real-world" reasons why students should be readers.

The book contains forty practical, classroom-tested and reproducible mini-lessons that get to the heart of reading motivation and that can be used immediately in English (as well as other content-area) classrooms. These easy-to-use motivational lessons serve as weekly reading "boostershots" that help maintain reading enthusiasm in your classroom from September through June. The mini-lessons, ranging from five to twenty minutes in length, hit home with adolescents, and in turn, enable them to internalize the importance reading will play in their lives. Rather than telling students reading is good for them, the lessons in this book show them the benefits of reading.

Classroom organization and management are essential elements of strong teaching and meaningful learning. A thoughtfully organized classroom with effective and well-established routines and procedures helps to create an environment that promotes and encourages learning. This handy book helps teachers envision such a classroom. Surviving and Thriving provides practical tips that teachers can put into action before, during, and after the learning. Before Class: What routines and procedures do teachers need to consider before students arrive in the classroom each year and each day? Routines, Time and Planning, Physical Space, Materials During Class: How will students and teachers function during class time as they interact with each other and with the learning situation? Grouping, Transitions, Refocusing, Encouraging Discussion, Reporting Out, Checking Understanding, Documenting Learning After Class: What can the teacher do after the students leave to ensure the smooth transition from one day to the next? Record-keeping

This remarkable book will show teachers how to guide students through the various stages of the writing process and teach them to focus on the purpose for writing in all kinds of non-fiction. It will help teachers assess what students know so they can plan more successful instruction. Teachers of content-area subjects will discover ways they can help their students become better, more capable writers. They will learn how to take students through all the steps involved in producing written documents - from generating ideas to researching to revising and editing - along with practical tips for supporting and encouraging student work. "Exploring Writing in the Content Areas" suggests specific techniques designed to help students: organise information into paragraphs; use visual elements like photographs, charts, and diagrams to enhance written text; find and document secondary source material; create powerful pictures using words. This practical book also explains how teachers can provide student writers with the concrete, constructive feedback they need. It demonstrates how assessment can guide effective teaching practices. Good writers think more clearly, organise information more logically, and approach all their schoolwork with greater confidence and self-assurance. This indispensable resource proves that helping students develop their writing skills is one of the most important contributions any teacher can make towards student success in school, and beyond.