The Literacy Cookbook

About the Author vii Acknowledgments ix Preface xv Introduction 1 PART ONE Basic Ingredients ONE Comprehension 7 What Is Comprehension, and Why Is It Important? 7 My Theory of Comprehension 7 Why Background Knowledge Is So Important 11 Key Critical Reading Skill 1: Paraphrasing 13 How Can You Teach Students How to Paraphrase? 14 Key Critical Reading Skill 2: Inference 22 Key Critical Reading Skill 3: Vocabulary in Context (and Vocabulary Instruction) 28 Key Critical Reading Skill 4: Inferring Main Idea or Argument (AKA Summarizing) 37 TLC Download Zone for Comprehension Process 43 TWO Reading 45 Decoding + Fluency and Comprehension = Reading 45 Nonfiction Versus Everything Else 47 Different Types of Readers 50 Independent and Guided Reading 52 Introduction to Reading Strategically 54 Before-Reading Strategies 54 During-Reading Strategies 59 Textbook Reading: How to Make Life Less Painful for Everyone Involved 70 How to Use the Teachers’ Manual 72 The Truth About Textbook ‘‘Reading’’ Tests 74 After-Reading Strategies 74 Reading Workshop: Something to Consider 78 TLC Download Zone for Reading 79 THREE Writing 81 ReadWell toWriteWell 81 WhyWeWrite (and Read) 82 Punchy Insights, or How to Avoid Writing Like a Robot 84 A Simple Recipe forWriting Instruction 86 What Students StruggleWith the Most When They Write 88 Thesis Brainstorming and Organizing 92 Teaching with Mentor Texts 95 Writing Workshop 101 98 Motivational Grammar 102 Rubrics and How to Spend Less Time Grading 105 TLC Download Zone forWriting 112 FOUR Speaking and Listening 115 Why Oral Fluency Matters 115 How to Train Students to Listen and Speak Effectively 117 More Thoughts on Effective Speaking 121 Class Discussion Logistics 123 Socratic Seminars Made Easy 125 Book Talk Projects 136 TLC Downloads for Speaking and Listening 142 PART TWO Entrées FIVE Tasty Persuasive Writing 145 The Concept of Persuasion 145 How to Prepare Students for PersuasiveWriting Tasks 146 SIX Reading, Writing, and Test Prep ‘‘Stew’’ 149 An Argument for Stew 149 Connecting Key Critical Reading Skills to Test Prep Instruction 150 Test Prep Tips 155 Connecting Writing to Reading Through Genre Study 159 Open-Ended Responses 161 SEVEN The Document-Based Question Approach 165 What Are DBQs, and Why Should Everyone Use Them? 165 Designing DBQs Across the Curriculum 166 EIGHT Research Paper Guide 169 Reading and the Research Paper 169 How to Avoid RPT (Research Paper Torture) 170 Two Sample Research Paper Assignments 171 Research Paper Teachers’ Guide 177 NINE Teaching with Novels 191 Novels in English Language Arts: Literary Response PaperWriting Guide 191 Using Novels in History, Social Studies, and Science 202 PART THREE Desserts TEN Recommended Reading 207 On Reading and Vocabulary 207 On Writing 208 On Curriculum and Instruction 209 On HowWe Think About Teaching, Learning, and Change 209 ELEVEN Appendix 211 Notes 219 Index 231