Watch multilingual students excel with high-engagement reading lessons Students acquiring English tend to bust every stereotype. The truth is, these learners come to school with linguistic assets, not deficits. They will excel with lively, just-right challenge lessons, and they thrive with opportunities to collaborate with peers. In this authoritative resource, bestselling author Nancy Akhavan shows teachers how to support students at the small-group table in acquiring English as well as developing as readers—simultaneously. Ready-to-go tools include: Essential background on the five stages of language acquisition How-tos for differentiating instruction based on students’ levels of language proficiency as well as their reading proficiency Lesson sequences integrating oral language, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, word work, comprehension, and writing about reading Routines that augment talk about texts so multilingual learners can verbalize their knowledge and articulate thinking A companion website and multimodal scaffolds to support students across reading, writing, speaking, and listening When we gather at the reading table, we have just twenty minutes—we need to make it count. Now we can.

This is Balanced Literacy: Grades K-6 Students learn to read and write best when their teachers balance literacy instruction. But how do you strike the right balance of skills and knowledge, reading and writing, small and whole group instruction, and direct and dialogic instruction, so that all students can learn to their maximum potential? The answer lies in the intentional design of learning activities, purposeful selection of instructional materials, evidence-based teaching methods, and in strategic groupings of students based on assessment data. Together, these create the perfect balance of high impact learning experiences that engage and excite learners. In this hands-on essential guide, best-selling authors Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Nancy Akhavan help you define that balance for your students, lighting the path to implementing balanced literacy in your classroom. Their plan empowers you to integrate evidence-based approaches that include: * Instructional materials comprised of both informational and narrative texts. * The best uses of instructional delivery modes, including direct and dialogic instruction. * Grouping patterns that work best to accomplish learning aims for different learners at different stages. * Instruction in foundational skills and meaning making, including oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. * Technology used as a tool for increasing learning of a specific literary process. All the tips and tools you need to realize the goal of balanced literacy learning are included, with classroom videos that show strategies in action. Tap your intuition, collaborate with your peers, and put the research-based strategies embedded in this roadmap to work in your classroom to implement or deepen a strong, successful balanced literacy program. Grow as a reading and writing teacher while leading your students to grow as readers and writers.

What exactly makes The Nonfiction NOW Lesson Bank such a stand-out? If you consider the amount of instructional support, that alone is substantial enough to transform your teaching. But Nancy Akhavan happens to be an educator who has performed many roles over her career so she divests in this book just about everything in her professional vault A whole new vision of teaching nonfiction 50 powerhouse lessons A bank of short informational texts Dozens of student practice activities Graphic organizers for taming textbooks Unlike so many books, this one will live its life in actual use: dog-eared, sticky-noted, and loved.

Students must "do the doing" if they are to succeed. This groundbreaking book offers a literacy instruction plan designed to yield independent effort and engagement. The tasks in this book ensure gradual release, helping students forge their own path in becoming better readers and writers.