40 Ways to Support Struggling Readers in Content Classrooms, Grades 6-12

Elaine K. McEwan is an educational consultant with The McEwan-Adkins Group, offering professional development for educators to assist them in meeting the challenges of literacy learning in Grades Pre K-6. A former teacher, librarian, principal, and assistant superintendent for instruction in several suburban Chicago school districts, Elaine is the award-winning and best-selling author of more than three dozen books for educators. Her Corwin Press titles include Raising Reading Achievement in Middle and High Schools: Five Simple-to-Follow Strategies for Principals, Second Edition (2006), Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers: Using Cognitive Research to Boost K-8 Achievement (2004), Ten Traits of Highly Effective Principals: From Good to Great Performance (2003), Making Sense of Research: What’s Good, What’s Not, and How to Tell the Difference (2003), Seven Steps to Effective Instructional Leadership, Second Edition (2003), Teach Them ALL to Read: Catching the Kids Who Fall through the Cracks (2002), and Ten Traits of Highly Effective Teachers: How to Hire, Mentor, and Coach Successful Teachers (2001). McEwan was honored by the Illinois Principals Association as an outstanding instructional leader, by the Illinois State Board of Education with an Award of Excellence in the Those Who Excel Program, and by the National Association of Elementary School Principals as the National Distinguished Principal from Illinois for 1991. She received her undergraduate degree in education from Wheaton College and advanced degrees in library science (MA) and educational administration (EdD) from Northern Illinois University.

"The format is easy to understand. Content-area teachers can quickly and easily find specific ideas to help students. Bottom line: This book is reader-friendly!"

• Problem-Solution Table of ContentsTopical Table of ContentsList of Instructional AidsPrefaceAcknowledgementsAbout the Author1. Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers2. Engage in Teacher and Student Think-Alouds Daily3. Teach Students How to Activate Prior Knowledge and Make Connections to New Knowledge4. Teach Students How to Infer5. Teach Students How to Monitor Their Comprehension6. Teach Students How to Ask Questions7. Teach Students How to Question the Author8. Teach Students How to Search and Select9. Teach Students How to Summarize10. Teach Students How to Graphically Organize Text and Concepts by Chunking11. Use and Teach Concept Maps12. Teach Students How to Mark Text as They Read13. Provide Advance Organizers Before Lessons14. Use the I Do It, We Do It, You Do It Lesson Plan15. Provide Models, Examples, and Nonexamples16. Preview and Preteach Critical Concepts and Vocabulary17. Check Frequently for Understanding18. Assess for Learning and for Grading19. Use and Teach Content Vocabulary Daily20. Teach Academic Vocabulary21. Teach Vocabulary Using Graphic Organizers22. Reduce the Cognitive Load23. Teach the Structure of Your Discipline24. Use Easy Nonfiction to Build Background Knowledge25. Determine What′s Hard for Students and Teach It26. Provide Easy-to-Read Short Articles Based on Content Standards27. Assign Oral-Assisted Repeated Reading of Content Text28. Use a Variety of Oral Reading Approaches29. Vary Your Models, Moves, and Activities30. Design Interactive Lessons31. Use the Cooperative Learning Model32. Create Content-Based Cooperative Games and Activities33. Vary Your Seating and Grouping Arrangements34. Give Students Reasons for Reading35. Develop and Use Scoring Rubrics36. Increase Wait Time37. Build In Frequent Processing Breaks38. Use and Teach Mnemonic Devices39. Schedule Writing in Response to Reading on a Regular Basis40. Expect Students to Activate, Connect, and Summarize DailyConclusionReferencesIndex