More Tools for Teaching Content Literacy

Finding the right tool to support learning is the key to student success. When appropriate strategies are combined with engaging texts, student interest and learning increase.

In Tools for Teaching Content Literacy Janet Allen put a wealth of research-based instructional tools at teachers' fingertips to help students make connections with informational resources and to read critically. More Tools for Teaching Content Literacy extends this treasure trove with 25 new instructional strategies -- from Expert Groups to Point-of-View Guides, to Wordstorming -- using the same compact, tabbed flipchart format. Each of the strategies includes: a brief description of the instructional tool; an exploration of how and why the tool would be used for instruction in content classes; graphic organizers; models; step-by-step instructions to support using and adapting the instructional strategy; a research base that documents the origin, adaptations, and related reading for understanding the effectiveness of the strategy.

Like its predecessor, More Tools is a handy reference that provides instant access to succinct descriptions, practical strategies, and manageable assessments, allowing teachers to save time and be more flexible and confident in meeting students' needs.

After teaching high school reading and English in Maine for twenty years, Janet Allen relocated to Florida, where she currently teaches English education courses at the University of Central Florida. A recipient of the Maine Educator Award and the Milken Foundation National Educator Award, Dr. Allen has always had a special interest in working with students who are at risk in terms of literacy and has spent much of her teaching career researching and working with these students.