Read, Talk, Write: 35 Lessons That Teach Students to Analyze Fiction and Nonfiction(Corwin Literacy)

"This book reminds us why Laura Robb continues to be such an important voice in our field: She looks through kids’ eyes and sees into their futures. Literary conversations don’t just enrich kids days; they offer young people gifts that keep on giving: the ability to take risks, exercise creativity, build empathy, and develop the ability to negotiate." —from the foreword by Harvey "Smokey" Daniels When you get right down to it, literacy comes down to this: read, talk, write. But as every teacher knows, it can be hard for students to see and use these three moves in concert—until now. In Read, Talk, Write, Laura Robb lays out the classroom structures that create the time and space for students to have productive talk and written discourse about texts. With Laura’s guidance you’ll Use short texts by Seymour Simon, Kathleen Krull, Priscilla Cummings, and other popular fiction and nonfiction authors to teach students how to analyze and converse about texts Incorporate six kinds of talk into your instruction, including turn-and-talk, partner talks, and small-group discussions Use the wealth of in-book and online reproducibles to help students facilitate their own comprehension-building discussions  Select from 35 lessons that address literary elements and devices, text structures, and comprehension strategies, and then use them to launch student-led talk about any text you teach Help your readers get in a read-talk-write flow, and know how to move from reading to talking to writing, to bring about deeper thinking Achieve high levels of performance around inferring, comparing and contrasting, summarizing and synthesizing, and other key skills by way of classroom conversations that make these advanced levels the norm

Table of Contents:
Foreword Acknowledgments Aim 1. Introduce Students to Six Types of Comprehension-Building Conversations Chapter 1. Talking About Texts: Getting Started Lessons and Texts to Take Students From Talk to Literary Conversation Five Benefits of Student-Centered Talk Benefit 1: Talk Supports Recall and Comprehension Benefit 2: Talk Engages and Motivates Benefit 3: Interactive Talk Becomes a Model for In-the-Head Conversations Benefit 4: Talk Activates Ideas for Writing About Reading Benefit 5: Talk Changes How Students Think and Feel About Fiction and Nonfiction The Research Support Coming Full Circle With Literature Circles Types of Talk and How They Fit Into the Lessons Initiating Talk With Questions and Prompts How to Craft Guiding Questions How to Teach Students to Compose Interpretive Questions Making Student Talk Productive How to Build Trust How to Help Students Initiate Discussion How to Teach Students to Listen Actively How to Use the Fishbowl Technique How to Use Smart Notebooks What’s Ahead Reflect on Your Teaching Chapter 2. Lessons for Teaching Six Types of Talk How Literary Conversations Help Students Texts for Talk-Based Reading Lessons When to Use the Six Types Tips for Managing Literary Conversations Offer Prompts That Keep a Discussion Moving Forward Provide a Timeframe Reflect and Intervene Set a Signal for Closing a Discussion Lesson 2.1: Turn-and-Talk Lesson in Action: Turn-and-Talk Lesson 2.2: Whole-Class Discussions Lesson in Action: Whole-Class Discussions Lesson 2.3: Partner Talk Lesson in Action: Partner Talk Lesson 2.4: Small-Group Discussions Lesson in Action: Small-Group Discussions Lesson 2.5: In-the-Head Conversations Lesson in Action: In-the-Head Conversations Lesson 2.6: Teacher–Student Discussions Lesson in Action: Teacher–Student Discussions Chapter 3. Lessons That Build Comprehension Skills in Any Genre Step 1: Mine Texts for Teaching Topics Step 2: Plan Lessons Step 3: Develop Effective Assessments Ten Top-Notch Short Texts and Lessons Getting-Ready Tips Lesson 3.1: Inferring With Informational Text Lesson 3.2: Exploring Interpretative Questions: Biography Lesson 3.3: Determining the Author’s Purpose: Informational Text Lesson 3.4: Why Characters Change: Small-Group Discussion Using a Short Story Lesson 3.5: Prompting In-the-Head Conversations: Biography Lesson 3.6: Teacher–Student Talk: Conferring Reproducible Fiction and Nonfiction Texts “Coming Clean” by Anina Robb “Defying Gravity: Mae Jemison” by Anina Robb “Hoops Tryouts” by Anina Robb “How Ada Lovelace Leaped Into History” by Kathleen Krull “How Athens Got Its Name” Retelling by Joanna Davis-Swing “Isaac Newton and the Day He Discovered the Rainbow” by Kathleen Krull “Making Scientists Into Climbers” (Excerpt From Secrets of the Sky Caves: Danger and Discovery on Nepal’s Mustang Cliffs) by Sandra Athans “New Horizons in Space” by Seymour Simon “Snow Day” by Priscilla Cummings “Who Climbs Everest?” (Excerpt From Tales From the Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest With Pete Athans) by Sandra Athans Aim 2. Teach Students to Read, Talk, and Write About Fiction Chapter 4. Taking the Plunge: How to Talk and Write About Fiction Exploring and Analyzing Fiction With Literary Elements Building Knowledge of Key Literary Techniques Some Key Literary Devices Encouraging Students to Discuss Literary Elements and Techniques Characteristics of Fictional Genres From Talk to Writing Brief Writing Tasks to Follow Talk Writing About Reading Model Lesson: The Importance of Inferring: “Snow Day” by Priscilla Cummings Reflect on Your Teaching Chapter 5. Going Deeper: How to Analyze Literary Elements Offer Students Guided Practice Moving From Talking to Writing Literary Elements and Five Kinds of Conflict Bundling Literary Elements Teaching Tips for Literature-Based Lessons Lesson 5.1: Protagonist and Antagonists Model Lesson 5.1: Teaching Protagonist and Antagonists: “Hoops Tryouts” by Anina Robb Lesson 5.2: Conflict, Plot, and Setting Model Lesson 5.2: Teaching Conflict, Plot, and Setting: “Coming Clean” by Anina Robb Lesson 5.3: Identifying Themes Model Lesson 5.3: Teaching Theme: “Snow Day” by Priscilla Cummings Lesson 5.4: Planning and Writing a Summary: Fiction Model Lesson 5.4: Teaching Summary: Fiction: “Hoops Tryouts” by Anina Robb Lesson 5.5: Compare and Contrast Notes Model Lesson 5.5: Teaching Compare and Contrast Notes: “How Athens Got Its Name” Retelling by Joanna Davis-Swing Aim 3. Teach Students to Read, Talk, and Write About Nonfiction Chapter 6. Taking the Plunge: How to Talk and Write About Nonfiction Seven Tips for Inspiring Students to Have Literary Conversations About Nonfiction Teach Six Kinds of Context Clues Lesson 6.1: Mining Text Features for Information Identifying Text Structures to Build Understanding Lesson 6.2: Teaching Text Structures From Talk to Writing Understanding the Structure of Nonfiction Genres Reflect on Your Teaching Chapter 7. Going Deeper: How to Analyze Nonfiction Teaching Tips for Text-Based Lessons Lesson 7.1: Taking Heading Notes and Finding a Main Idea Model Lesson 7.1: Taking Heading Notes and Finding a Main Idea: “Who Climbs Everest?” (Excerpt From Tales From the Top of the World) by Sandra Athans Lesson 7.2: Thinking About Issues: Obstacles Model Lesson 7.2: Teaching About Obstacles: “How Ada Lovelace Leaped Into History” by Kathleen Krull Lesson 7.3: Teaching the Problem-Solution Text Structure Model Lesson 7.3: Teaching Problem-Solution: “New Horizons in Space” by Seymour Simon Lesson 7.4: Personality Traits and a Person’s Achievements: Biography Model Lesson 7.4: Teaching Personality Traits: “Defying Gravity: Mae Jemison” by Anina Robb and “Isaac Newton and the Day He Discovered the Rainbow” by Kathleen Krull Lesson 7.5: Identifying Main Ideas Model Lesson 7.5a: Teaching Explicitly Stated Main Ideas: “Who Climbs Everest?” (Excerpt From Tales From the Top of the World) by Sandra Athans Model Lesson 7.5b: Teaching How to Infer Main Ideas: “Defying Gravity: Mae Jemison” by Anina Robb Chapter 8. Reflecting on the Process of Read, Talk, Write Four Key Skills Skill 1: Taking Risks Skill 2: Creativity Skill 3: Empathy Skill 4: The Ability to Negotiate Writing Is Knowing Making the Changeover Take the First Steps Climb That First Hill Start Slowly Down the Hill Continue Moving Along the Path Picture Your Destination Make a Teaching Investment With Student Paybacks List of Top-Notch Books for Instruction and Class Libraries Bibliography of Professional Materials Index

About the Author :
An author, teacher, coach, and speaker, LAURA ROBB has spent the last four decades in middle school education.  What teachers appreciate most about Laura is her deep commitment to children and adolescents, and her ability to show what best-practice instruction looks like day by day; a survey conducted by Instructor magazine named Laura as one of the nation’s top twenty educators. Currently, in addition to her speaking and consulting, she works part time in grades K-8. She was named NCTE’s recipient of the 2016 Richard W. Halle Award for Outstanding Middle Level Educator.

Review :
"Reading is language, on the same plane as talking and writing. Yet in our pursuit of improving students′ comprehension, we sometimes neglect to include enough "talk" and "write" in our instructional plans, Laura Robb understands just what teachers need to get the read-write-talk synergy going in their classrooms, and has done a masterful job of providing us with insight and guidance into making these important connections work for all texts. The result of Read, Talk, Write will be more highly engaged students and deeper levels of comprehension." "In Read, Talk, Write, Laura Robb helps both novice and experienced teachers create a curriculum of rich conversations that can enhance any reading instructional model. She includes practical resources such as model lessons, checklists, planning guides, and supports for ESL students.  Reading this book felt like I was at a common planning meeting with Laura and we were mapping out student conversation lessons together. What is especially helpful is her clear explanations of not just what to teach students, but how the different types of student conversations benefit readers, allowing teachers to choose talk structures that match the students right now." "How talk develops strategic reading and comprehension, and how it supports composing of all kinds, has been a somewhat neglected topic in both the research realm and in the realm of practical pedagogies.  To fill the gap, here comes Laura Robb with Read, Talk, Write. Laura Robb is a great-hearted teacher and person, and in this book she carefully guides all of us who teach how to use specific kinds of procedures and language to develop student engagement, literacies, agency and independent capacity more robustly." "Read, Talk, Write offers teachers and students a magical tapestry of collaborative thinking and learning around texts. Laura Robb gently, and with great expertise, weaves reading, writing, listening, and speaking into thought-provoking routines. Teachers are going to love the easy-to-follow suggestions for prompts, lessons, and beautiful mentor texts. This highly practical resource brings the famous "easy button" to the world of text response!" "Laura Robb is a genius. She knows our students. She understands the teachers. She has ideas that are research based, adaptable and make sense. She is all about how to make our students succeed as learners and lovers of literacy.. . . Laura Robb explains that talk supports recall and comprehension, engages and motivates, becomes a model for ‘in the head’ conversations while engaging with a story, activates ideas for writing about reading, and changes how students think and feel about fiction and nonfiction.. . .This book is about teaching students to have accountable and enriched conversations which lead to productive and engaging writing. Read, Talk, Write is not just about students talking with each other about their reading or writing, but it also teaches students how to engage in conversations that will stimulate their brains to ask purposeful questions. Laura Robb reminds us of the importance of purposeful talk.. . . The author is careful about structuring her book so that teachers don’t ‘dive in the deep end’ without any support. She first introduces each of the six types of literary conversations and how each type builds upon the other: turn and talk, whole class discussion, partner talk, small group discussions, "in-the-head" discussions, and teacher-student discussions (conferring).. . . In addition, throughout the book she generously provides examples of each type, including a detailed description, how to introduce it, prompts and scaffolds to use, assessments, supports for ELL students, and reproducibles. The "lessons in action" (sample lesson) have a brief explanation of the purpose of the lesson, summary of the text, samples of student talk, and reproducibles."