Test collection

• Reading Comprehension
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• High-Frequency Words
• Cueing Systems
• Text Selection

Author Jeff Anderson and literacy coach Whitney La Rocca lead a vibrant approach to grammar instruction in Patterns of Power, Grades 1-5: Inviting Young Writers into the Conventions of Language. Here, young, emergent writers are invited to notice the conventions of the English language and build off them in this inquiry-based approach to instructional grammar.

The book comes with standards-aligned lessons that can be incorporated in 10 minutes a day. Patterns of Power’s responsive, invitational approach puts students in an involved role and has them explore and discuss the purpose and meaning of what they read. Students study short, authentic texts and are asked to share their findings out loud, engaging in rich conversations to make meaning. Inside you’ll find:

• Ready-to-use lesson plan sets that include excerpts from authentic and diverse mentor texts curated for grades 1-5 and can be adapted over 5 grade levels
• Real-life classroom examples, tips, and Power Notes gleaned from the authors’ experiences that can be applied to any level of writer
• Resources, including a Patterns of Power Planning Guide and musical soundtracks, to use in classroom instruction or as handouts for student literacy notebooks

 
Patterns of Power, Grades 1-5 provides a simple classroom routine that is structured in length and approach, but provides teachers flexibility in choosing the texts, allowing for numerous, diverse voices in the classroom. The practice helps students build cognitive recognition and provides a formative assessment for teachers on student progress. With these short lessons, students will grow their confidence and move beyond limitation to produce effortless writing in your class and beyond.

The Patterns of Power series also includes Patterns of Power, Grades 6-8: Inviting Adolescent Writers into the Conventions of Language; Patterns of Power en Español, Grades 1-5: Inviting Bilingual Writers into the Conventions of Spanish; Patterns of Power, Grades 9-12: Teaching Grammar Through Reading and Writing and Patterns of Wonder, Grades PreK-1: Inviting Emergent Writers to Play with the Conventions of Language.

"This book is an amazing resource for teachers who are struggling to help students develop both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding..."
                                                                                                                       --Dr. Margaret (Peg) Smith, co-author of 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions

Robert Kaplinsky, the co-creator of Open Middle math problems, brings his new class of tasks designed to stimulate deeper thinking and lively discussion among middle and high school students in Open Middle Math: Problems That Unlock Student Thinking, Grades 6-12. The problems are characterized by a “closed beginning,” meaning all students start with the same initial problem, and a “closed end,” meaning there is only one correct or optimal answer. The key is that the middle is “open” in the sense that there are multiple ways to approach and ultimately solve the problem. These tasks have proven enormously popular with teachers looking to assess and deepen student understanding, build student stamina, and energize their classrooms.
 

• Professional Learning Resource for Teachers: Open Middle Math is an indispensable resource for educators interested in teaching student-centered mathematics in middle and high schools consistent with the national and state standards
• Sample Problems at Each Grade: The book demonstrates the Open Middle concept with sample problems ranging from dividing fractions at 6th grade to algebra, trigonometry, and calculus
• Teaching Tips for Student-Centered Math Classrooms: Kaplinsky shares guidance on choosing problems, designing your own math problems, and teaching for multiple purposes, including formative assessment, identifying misconceptions, procedural fluency, and conceptual understanding
• Adaptable and Accessible Math: The tasks can be solved using various strategies at different levels of sophistication, which means all students can access the problems and participate in the conversation

• Ready-to-use lesson plan sets that include excerpts from authentic and diverse mentor texts curated for grades 6-8
• Real-life classroom examples, tips, and Power Notes gleaned from the authors’ experiences that can be applied to any level of writer
• Resources, including a Patterns of Power Planning Guide and musical soundtracks, to use in classroom instruction or as handouts for student literacy notebooks

• How to Teach Student-Centered Mathematics: Zager outlines a problem-solving approach to mathematics for elementary and middle school educators looking for new ways to inspire student learning
• Big Ideas, Practical Application: This math book contains dozens of practical and accessible teaching techniques that focus on fundamental math concepts, including strategies that simulate connection of big ideas; rich tasks that encourage students to wonder, generalize, hypothesize, and persevere; and routines to teach students how to collaborate
• Key Topics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers: Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You'd Had offers fresh perspectives on common challenges, from formative assessment to classroom management for elementary and middle school teachers

• Easy-to-use planning templates to guide teachers in implementing these powerful routines
• A variety of student recording sheets for Counting Collections that allow teachers to enact different variations of this activity across the grades
• Guides for selecting Choral Counts that support grade-level standards and mathematical goals
• Goal charts that provide specific guidance on teacher language and moves
• Advice on supporting both students' mathematical and social goals through Choral Counting and Counting Collections

• Comprehensive and Readable: Dr. Small helps all teachers deepen their content knowledge by illustrating core mathematical themes with sample problems, clear visuals, and plain language
• Big Focus on Student Thinking: The book's tools, models. and discussion questions are designed to understand student thinking and nudge it forward. Particularly popular features include charts listing common student misconceptions and ways to address them, a table of suggested manipulatives for each topic, and a list of related children's book 
• Implementing Standards That Make Sense: By focusing on key mathematics principles, Understanding the Math We Teach and How to Teach It, K-8 helps to explain the "whys" of state standards and provides teachers with a deeper understanding of number sense, operations, algebraic thinking, geometry, and other critical topics

In her practical and inspirational book, Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for All Learners, author Regie Routman guides K-12 teachers to create a trusting, intellectual, and equitable classroom culture that allows all learners to thrive as self-directed readers, writers, thinkers, and responsible citizens. Over the course of three sections, Routman provides numerous "Take Action" ideas for implementing authentic and responsive teaching, assessing, and learning. This book poses a key question: How do we rise to the challenge of providing an engaging, excellent, equitable education for all learners, including those from high poverty and underserved schools? 

Teaching for Engagement: Many high performing schools are characterized by a a thriving school culture built on a network of authentic communication. Teachers can strengthen classroom engagement by building a trusting and welcoming environment where all students can have a safe and collaborative space to grow and develop.

Pursuing Excellence: Routman identifies 10 key factors that describe an excellent teacher, ranging from intellectual curiosity to creativity, and explains how carrying yourself as a role model contributes to an inclusive, caring, empathic, and fair classroom. She also stresses the importance for school leaders to make job-embedded professional development a top priority.

Dismantling Unequal Education: The huge gap in the quality of education in high vs low income communities is the civil rights issue of the 21st century, according to Routman. She spells out specific actions educators can take to create more equitable schools and classrooms, such as diversifying texts used in curriculums and ensuring all students have access to opportunities to discuss, reflect, and engage with important ideas. 

From the author, "I wrote Literacy Essentials, because I saw a need to simplify teaching, raise expectations, and make expert teaching possible for all of us. I saw a need to emphasize how a school culture of kindness, trust, respect, and curiosity is essential to any lasting achievement. I saw a need to demonstrate and discuss how and why the beliefs, actions, knowledge we hold determine the potential for many of our students. Equal opportunity to learn depends on a culture of engagement and equity, which under lies a relentless pursuit of excellence." 
 

• Creating a Community of Learners: As part of the rough draft framework, a class of students becomes an equitable and inclusive community of thinkers, one where students feel safe to engage in discourse while developing mathematical competency and confidence
• Practical Application of Innovative Ideas: This book includes specific teaching techniques and a range of classroom vignettes showing rough draft math in action within a student-centered teaching approach. Children can develop solutions at their own pace and share thought processes behind their conclusions
• Classroom Tested: Jansen has developed the concept of rough draft math in collaboration with a diverse group of dynamic and reflective teachers. Rough Draft Math provides a blueprint for educators to allow free-thinking discussion while maintaining the mathematical learning goals

During his years working as an instructional coach for a national network of schools, Geoff Krall had the chance to witness several inspirational moments when math class comes alive for middle or high school students--when it is challenging but also fun, creative, and interactive. In Necessary Conditions: Teaching Secondary Math with Academic Safety, Quality Tasks, and Effective Facilitation, Krall documents the essential ingredients that produce these sorts of moments on a regular basis and for all students. They are Academic Safety, Quality Tasks, and Effective Facilitation. 

• Academic Safety: Krall implements equitable classroom experiences that help fight stigmas associated with race and gender in schools. This allows students to feel socially and emotionally secure while nurturing their identities as mathematicians and increasing engagement during classroom discussions
• Quality Tasks: Teachers can adapt or create dynamic, student-centered lessons that break down math into small, manageable sections, removing the frustrations felt by students who aren't considered "math people"
• Effective Facilitation: This book shows how to incorporate teaching moves and math routines designed for engagement, persistence, and interactivity. Teachers can allow students to explore safely while maintaining consistent classroom expectations

                                                                                                                                                                                            -- Geoff Krall from his book, Necessary Conditions

• Quotes and affirmations throughout the texts
• Scientific research and reflections on how these theories and practices can apply to your own life
• Paths to Mindful Teaching and how to integrate into your daily life
• Additional resources and online content to further support your practice

• Teaching Foundational Skills Across Subjects: Hands Down, Speak Out is a practical guide for teaching listening and talking skills that span both literacy and math instruction and can be applied to a multitude of curriculums.
• K-5 Classroom Management Focused on Dialogue: Too often, the practice of hand-raising favors the performance of answers by a few students over the construction of meaning involving the whole class. Help all students develop dialogue skills that will deepen their understanding of literacy and mathematics, as well as of themselves, their communities, and the world.
• 28 Student-Centered Micro Lessons: Each of these short, incremental lessons build specific skills during content instruction rather than taking time away from it. Students will be energized by a discourse structure in which their ideas and voices take the lead while teachers focus on listening and facilitating.
• Nurturing Disagreements: The authors provide guidance for managing difficult conversations by teaching students to engage in debate and discussion in a way that values listening equally with talking. Students are able to spend time developing active listening and speaking skills in a constructive environment.

• Incorporating tools to recognize what works, what doesn’t, and why
• Practical classroom activities for daily teaching and student assessment
• Insights about what brain research tells us about whole language and phonics-first movements
• Deepened understanding of dyslexia through the enhanced lens of brain science

For the past ten years, Gail Boushey and Allison Behne worked with hundreds of teachers and students nationwide to gain insights into the best practices for reading instruction. Using their findings, they developed The CAFE Book, Expanded Second Edition: Engaging All Students in Daily Literacy Assessment and Instruction to share what their research has proven - that reading instruction is not about the setting or the book level, but rather effective reading instruction is based off of what the student needs in that moment.

With the release of The CAFE Book in 2009, the CAFE system (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expanding Vocabulary) has been implemented in classrooms all over the world. It changed the way educators assess, teach, and track student information and has positively impacted the way students learn, practice, and talk about reading.

The CAFE Book, Expanded Second Edition builds on the same research-based, student-centered foundations, but now includes:

• Seven Steps from Assessment to Instruction to plan data-driven classwork 
• The Instruction Protocol – a framework to guide your teaching and planning
• CAFE's Essential Elements resource to guide your understanding of student-focused instruction
• A revised CAFE menu and a checklist of skills vital for emerging readers
• Ready Reference Guides that include when to teach the strategy, options for differentiating methods, and partner strategies
• Significant resources to help with lesson planning, assessments and goal setting, and parent involvement
• New and improved forms for both online conferring notebook and a pencil/paper notebook to support more effective conferring with students

The CAFE Book, Expanded Second Edition offers a variety of tools to structure your literacy block and create an environment where your students are engaged readers and writers with resources that set them up for success. The CAFE system is all you need to support, guide, and coach your students toward the strategies that will move them forward.

• Introduce the 5 kinds of nonfiction: Active, Browseable, Traditional, Expository Literature, and Narrative—and explore each category through discussions, classroom examples, and insights from leading children’s book authors
• Offer tips for building strong, diverse classroom texts and library collections
• Provide more than 20 activities to enhance literacy instruction
• Include innovative strategies for sharing and celebrating nonfiction with students. 

• Sample Problems: Filled with a range of Number Talks problems, 10-15 minute warm-up routines that lend themselves to mental math and comparison of strategies
• Navigating Rough Spots: Learn how to create a safe environment for tricky or challenging student discussions that can arise when talking through problems and sharing ideas
• Responding to Mistakes: Ways to handle misconceptions and mathematical errors that come up during the course of Number Talk conversations

• Ready-to-use lesson plan sets that pinpoint and build across the most common needs of emergent writers
• An adjusted invitational process adapted for young learners, and the Phases of Emergent Writing as tools to plan for effective, scaffolded instruction
• How to position grammar concepts about print instruction across three overlapping levels of support: oral language, illustrating, and writing
• Over 200 engaging picture book recommendations to stir curious classroom conversations

Using the guiding principles from Peter Johnston’s best-selling professional resources, Choice Words and Opening Minds, Peter and six colleagues began a journey to create just such classrooms—environments in which children meaningfully engage with each other through reading, writing, making, and discussing books.

Together, they bring you Engaging Literate Minds: Developing Children's Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Lives, K-3 where you’ll discover how these teachers struggled and succeeded in building such classrooms. Inside you’ll find the following:

• Practical ways to develop a caring learning community and children's socio-emotional competence
• Powerful teaching practices from real classrooms
• Engaging ways to encourage inquiry and student agency
• Suggestions on how to use formative assessment in everyday teaching practices
• Helpful research behind the classroom practices and children’s development
• Ways to help students inspire and support each other

Building a just, caring, literate society has never been more important than it is today. By embracing the ideas and teaching strategies in Engaging Literate Minds, you can help children to become socially, emotionally, and intellectually healthy. Not only do these classroom practices develop the skills to achieve district benchmarks and beyond, they help develop children’s humanity.

In Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness, author Katie Cunningham links what we know from the science of happiness with what we know about effective literacy instruction. When given a choice about what to write, children express hopes, fears, and reactions to life’s experiences. Literacy learning is full of opportunities for students to learn tools to live a happy life. 

Inside, you’ll find:

• Seven Pillars: Cunningham discusses the seven pillars that guide her classrooms and are involved in each literacy lesson—Connection, Choice, Challenge, Play, Story, Discovery, and Movement.
• Ten Invitations: Designed for teachers to improvise and make their own, these ten lessons may be presented at any time of year in the context of any unit and include children’s literature suggestions as well as recommended teacher talk to meet children’s specific needs.
• Teaching Tools: Tools and resources that will help students tell their stories and make literacy learning something all students celebrate and cherish.

This book honors the adventure that learning is meant to be and aims to make happiness more tangible in the classroom. By infusing school days with happiness, teachers can support children as they become stronger readers, writers, and thinkers, while also helping them learn that strength comes from challenge, and joy comes from leading a purposeful life.