Writers Read Better: Nonfiction: 50+ Paired Lessons That Turn Writing Craft Work Into Powerful Genre Reading - Paperback

by M. Colleen Cruz (Author)

We know that writing skills reinforce reading skills, but what's the best way to capitalize on this beneficial relationship? By flipping the traditional "reading lesson first, writing lesson second" sequence, Colleen Cruz ingeniously helps you make the most of the writing-to-reading connection with carefully matched, conceptually connected lesson pairs. The result is a healthy reciprocity that effectively and efficiently develops students' literacy skills.

Backed by long-term academic and field research, Writers Read Better presents a series of 50 tightly interconnected lesson pairs that can be implemented either as supplement existing curriculum or as a stand alone module. Each pairing leads with a writing lesson, used as a springboard for the reading lesson that will follow.

Throughout the book's four sections, organized to cover distinct and complementary phases of working with non-fiction texts, you'll discover

• Helpful insights on preparing for the section's overarching goals
• Clear guidance on the intention of each lesson, what materials are required, and step-by-step plans for leading the activity
• Sample teacher language for leading the lesson
• Tips on building and organizing your classroom library, and how you can incorporate the tools, technology and media available in your classroom to make each lesson most effective
• Sample student work, online videos and other supporting resources

Complete with practical suggestions on adapting the lessons to suit the particular needs of your classroom as well as individual students, Writers Reader Better offers a solid foundation for giving your students the advantage of powerful, transferable literacy skills.

Author Biography

Colleen Cruz is the author of several titles for teachers, including The Unstoppable Writing Teacher, as well as the author of the young adult novel, Border Crossing, a Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Finalist. She was a classroom teacher in general education and inclusive settings before joining the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, where she shares her passion for accessibility, twenty-first century learning, and social justice as the Director of Innovation.