Stenhouse Newslinks
December 21, 2005
C O N T E N T S
1) Teaching reading comprehension with nonfiction
2) Holiday children's books
3) PD Corner: Building coaching and mentoring relationships
4) Creating a culture of literacy
5) Happy Holidays from Stenhouse
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1) Teaching reading comprehension with nonfiction
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"You will like a lot about this book: it is grounded in real
classrooms, it focuses on what students can do--with help--and not
what they cannot do, it is replete with classroom artifacts, it is
written in an accessible and engaging style, and it is full of
transcripts and tools and techniques."
--Nell Duke, from the foreword to the new book, Reality Checks
Why do children struggle with informational texts? In his new
book, Reality Checks, Tony Stead explores the skills, strategies,
and learning experiences that help K-5 students comprehend
nonfiction effectively--not just reciting facts, but also
interpreting and critically evaluating text and visual
information.
Reality Checks is available now in print, and you can also review
the entire book on-line here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0364.asp?r=n80
* Special for Newslinks subscribers *
Order Reality Checks on our Web site by January 9 and we'll waive
the shipping charge (a $5 value!). Just enter the discount code
NL8A at the "Address" checkout screen.
Reality Checks: Teaching Reading Comprehension with Nonfiction K-5
Tony Stead * 264 pp/paper * $22.00
Foreword by Nell K. Duke
http://www.stenhouse.com/0364.asp?r=n80
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2) Holiday children's books
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Kidsreads.com, "the best place on the web for kids to find info
about their favorite books, series, and authors," has compiled a
list of new winter holiday books, with brief descriptions and age
ranges:
http://www.kidsreads.com/features/2005_holiday.asp
(Follow the links in the left column for past years' book lists,
including additional suggestions for Hanukkah and Christmas.)
Explore the rest of Kidsreads.com for book reviews, author
interviews, author biographies, and features on series books
(including history of more than 60 popular series titles), as well
as author birthday listings, word scrambles, trivia games, and
links to author Web sites.
For more holiday children's book recommendations, visit the
Children's Books section of About.com, which has specific lists
for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa:
http://childrensbooks.about.com/od/holidays/bb/winterholidays.htm
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3) PD Corner: Building coaching and mentoring relationships
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The new book, Becoming a Literacy Leader, describes how Jennifer
Allen worked with teachers over time to define her leadership role
based upon their emerging literacy needs. The book will be
published by Stenhouse in January, and the entire text is now
available for preview here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0419.asp?r=n80
In Chapter 6, Coaching in Classrooms, Jennifer describes how she
observed and assisted a teacher who struggled with classroom
management issues. The story is one of many in the chapter that
shows how different teachers require and ask for different kinds
of support. Jennifer's narrative captures the uncertainty and
uncharted territory school leaders enter as they try to build
trusting relationships with teachers, even as they push them to
improve their instruction:
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/Allen93-112.pdf
Stenhouse authors Jean Boreen and Donna Niday provide a wealth of
activities for helping mentors deal with struggling teachers. In
their Read Share Teach workshop guide, they present a series of
role plays to help mentors develop new skills and strategies for
problem situations. Download your own copy of the guide, where you
will find the role play scenarios on page 22:
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/rst_0309.pdf
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4) Creating a culture of literacy
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As more attention is focused on adolescent literacy and high
school reform, The National Association of Secondary School
Principals recently published Creating a Culture of Literacy: A
Guide for Middle and High School Principals. This guide summarizes
the latest research and explores five key elements for success,
with school profiles that exemplify each element. The full text is
available here:
http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=62&DID=62
(Click on the link just below the product image to download the
entire book in PDF format.)
For another new leadership resource available on-line in its
entirety, check out The Principal Difference: Key Issues in School
Leadership and How to Deal with Them Successfully. This practical
book draws on the latest research and personal case studies to
give principals practical suggestions for improving leadership:
tackling accountability, building professional learning
communities, engaging students and parents, responding to
diversity, and more:
http://www.stenhouse.com/8193.asp?r=n80
Also available from Stenhouse is The Literacy Principal: Leading,
Supporting and Assessing Reading and Writing Practices. Read
Chapter 1, "Changing the Face of Literacy Education in Schools,"
here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/8146.asp?r=n80
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5) Happy Holidays from Stenhouse
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As 2005 draws to a close, all of us at Stenhouse hope you have a
wonderful holiday season, and wish you the very best for 2006!
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Please send comments and questions to Chuck Lerch, Newslinks
Editor, at 
or call (800) 988-9812.
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http://www.stenhouse.com
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