Linda J. Dorn

Grounded in social and cognitive learning theories, the second edition of Apprenticeship in Literacy: Transitions Across Reading and Writing, K-4 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. The new edition also features the following:

• Updated research emphasizing the importance of early reading as a road map for success
• Information on how behaviors, from emergent to fluent, align to the Common Core State Standards
• Dozens of new classroom examples—students' work, photographs, transcripts, teacher-student conferences, and reproducible resources
• Language prompts that promote self-regulated learners
• Schedules for implementing a workshop framework in whole-group, small-group, and one-to-one settings
• Suggestions for incorporating information texts into a balanced literacy program
• Stronger emphasis on the importance of the writing process
• Additional ideas on establishing routines and organizing the classroom

The theme of apprenticeship in literacy resonates throughout the book: children learn from teachers and teachers learn from one another as they promote children's transfer of knowledge across multiple contexts. The final chapter provides real-world examples of teachers working together to ensure that all children become literate.

Since its original publication in 1998, Apprenticeship in Literacy has become a teacher favorite, covering all aspects of a balanced literacy program in an integrated manner and showing how all components are differentiated to address the needs of diverse learners. An apprenticeship approach to literacy emphasizes the role of the teacher in providing demonstrations, engaging children, monitoring their understanding, providing timely support, and ultimately withdrawing that support as the child gains independence.

The goal of teaching writing is to create independent and self-motivated writers. When students write more often, they become better at writing. They acquire habits, skills, and strategies that enable them to learn more about the craft of writing. Yet they require the guidance and support of a more knowledgeable person who understands the writing process, the changes over time in writing development, and specific techniques and procedures for teaching writing.

In Scaffolding Young Writers: A Writers' Workshop Approach, Linda J. Dorn and Carla Soffos present a clear road map for implementing writers' workshop in the primary grades.

Adopting an apprenticeship approach, the authors show how explicit teaching, good models, clear demonstrations, established routines, assisted teaching followed by independent practice, and self-regulated learning are all fundamental in establishing a successful writers' workshop. There is a detailed chapter on organizing for writers' workshop, including materials, components, routines, and procedures. Other chapters provide explicit guidelines for designing productive mini-lessons and student conferences.

Scaffolding Young Writers also features:

• An overview of how children become writers;
• Analyses of students' samples according to informal and formal writing assessments
• Writing checklists, benchmark behaviors, and rubrics based on national standards
• Examples of teaching interactions during mini-lessons and writing conferences
• Illustrations of completed forms and checklists with detailed descriptions, and blank reproducible forms in the appendix for classroom use

Instruction is linked with assessment throughout the book, so that all teaching interactions are grounded in what children already know and what they need to know as they develop into independent writers.