Table of Contents
Introduction xv
A Year of Teaching Dangerously xvii
Our Two Schools xviii
How This Book Is Framed xx
Section I Planning Decisions 1
1 Start with Beliefs 3
The Demands of Time 6
What Are We Planning For? 7
What Do We Believe About Teaching and Learning? 9
We Believe Each Academic Year Is a Unique, Living Mosaic 9
We Believe There Is Beauty in Our Content 10
We Believe in the Power of Models 11
We Believe Choice Drives Engagement 12
We Believe Reading Identity Matters 13
We Believe Writing Identity Matters 14
We Believe in the Value of Talk 16
We Believe in the Practice of Approximation and Fearlessness 18
We Believe in Grading Less and Assessing More 19
We Believe Collaboration Is Essential for Professional Growth 21
Closing Thoughts: The Budget of Time Is Limited 22
2 Establish Daily Practices 24
Day One Sets the Tone 24
Practices Support Beliefs: The Template of One Day 26
Read: Book Talk 27
Read: Time to Read 29
Write: Daily Notebook Launch 35
Study: Text Study or Other Minilesson 40
Create: Time to Work on an Evolving Draft 41
Share: Debrief/Share Beautiful Words 43
Closing Thoughts: The Efficiency of Daily Practices 44
3 Map a Year of Reading 45
Indepdent Reading 48
Support for Independent Reading 49
Teaching "into" Independent Reading 51
Book Clubs 53
Select Titles 54
Group Students by Choice 56
Create a Reading and Meeting Schedule 56
Give Students Tools for Discussion 57
Core Texts 63
Select a Text 64
Pace the Reading 67
Pose Essential Questions 69
Decide Which Skills to Highlight 71
Craft on Assessment 73
Closing Thoughts: The Case for Engaged Readers 78
4 Map a Year of Writing 80
Finding a Balance Between Tasks, Assignments, and Freewriting 81
Teachers as Writers: Practicing What We Preach 81
Units of Study in Writing 83
Start with the Finish Line in Mind 85
Move Students from Victimhood to Agency 86
Plan the Teaching That Threads Through Every Unit 89
Plan to Change Your Plans 91
Plan to Reteach 92
Plan to Study Your Teaching 93
Hone the Skill of Conferring 94
Teach into What You See 97
Closing Thoughts: The Case for Engaged Writers 104
5 Balance Feedback and Evaluation 105
Grading Doesn't Teach 105
Guiding Principles for the Grading of Writing 107
Principle: Students Need a Volume of Ungraded Practice 107
Principle: Students Need Practice in Reading Like Writers 109
Principle: Students Need Feedback 110
Principle: Not All Work Is Weighted Equally 111
Principle: Grades Should Tell the Truth About Progress 112
Principle: Rubrics Are Problematic 113
Principle: Best Drafts Receive Limited Feedback 114
Assessing the Growth of a Reader 114
Independent Reading 115
Boak Clubs 116
Literary Analysis 118
Whole Class Reading (to Grade or Not to Grade) 120
Setting Up the Grade Book 123
Grading the Finish Line: The End-of-Year Portfolio Summative Assessment 123
Selection 124
Reflection 125
Closing Thoughts: The Heart of the Work 127
Section II Teaching Essential Discourses 129
Time 131
Expectation 131
Teaching 132
Essential Questions 132
The Rhythm of a Study 133
Launching a Unit 133
Heart of a Unit 133
End of a Unit 134
Reflecting on a Unit 134
6 Narrative 137
Planning a Study in Narrative 139
Time and Expectations 139
Lap 1 Swimming in Short Memoirs 142
Writing Connected to Place 142
Writing Connected to Objects 144
Writing Connected to Events 145
Writing to Introduce Ourselves 145
Assessment in Lap One 150
Lap 2 Crafting One Scene 152
Notebook Writing 153
Mentor Text Study 153
Passage Study 157
Modeling Process 158
Assessment in Lap Two 161
Lap 3 Crafting Several Scenes to Create a Story 163
Mentor Text Study 163
Modeling Process 164
Passage Study 165
Lap 4 Using Multiple Narrators to Craft a Story 166
Close Thoughts: A Foundation of Trust 169
7 Informational 170
Planning a Study in Informational Writing 171
Time and Expectations 172
Lap 1 Summarizing from Infographics 174
Lap 2 Writing a Review 177
Lap 3 Crafting a Digital Project 178
Using Texts as Mentors Across the Study 182
Sentence Study 183
Passage Study 184
Sentence Templates 185
Modeling the process of Crafting Informational Texts 187
Minilessons to Support Informational Writing 187
Closing Thoughts: Literacy in an Information-Rich World 188
8 Argument 189
Planning a Study in Argument 189
Time and Expectations 191
Lap 1 Reading and Writing Next to Infographics and Short Reviews 192
Lap 2 Reading and Writing Next to "The Ethicist" 195
Lap 3 Writing to Presidentical Candidates 198
Lap 4 Creating a Digital Public Service Announcement 201
Using Texts as Mentors Across the Study 202
Modeling the process of Crafting Argument 206
Invite Your Reader into Your Argument 207
Establish Your Credibility or "Ethos" as a Writer 207
Establish an Emotional Connection or "Pathos" with Your Reader 207
Establish the Logic or "Logos" of Your Argument 207
Include a Call for Action 208
Conclude with a "Hooking" Strategy 208
Closing Thoughts: Argument in a Changing World 208
9 Multigenre Research Projects 209
Planning a Study in Multigenre Writing 209
Time and Expectations 211
Part 1 A "Dear Reader" Letter 212
Part 2 Four (or More) Elements 212
Part 3 Works Cited and Endnotes 213
Modeling the Process of Planning Multigenre Projects 213
Notebook Work 214
Minilessons to Support Multigenre Projects 216
Using Text as Mentors Across the Study 217
Obituaries 217
Podcasts 219
Assessment of Multigenre Projects 220
Closing Thoughts: The Value of Multigenre Writing 221
Afterword 222
Acknowledgments 226
References 229