National Reading Initiative Resources
Featured Resources
Putting the "Shop" in Reading Workshop: Building Reading Stamina
English Journal,
June 2012
Amanda N. Gulla, a teacher-consultant with the New York City Writing Project, observes how formerly underperforming language arts ninth graders became engaged, thoughtful readers. Through an ethnographic study, Gulla describes the teacher's methods of hands-on teaching, independent reading, open discussions, and more that help her students develop literacy expertise without losing their identities.
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Adolescent Literacy Reports from Carnegie Corporation Detail Plan of Action
January 2010
Time to Act: An Agenda for Advancing Adolescent Literacy for College and Career Success sets out a national agenda for fully supporting young learners and using evidence-based case studies to boost adolescent literacy rates.
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NWP Radio—What’s Next: Possibilities for Literacy and Content Area Learning
March 2010
Listen to a post-conference discussion with NWP leaders about the Writing Project's work with content-area teachers and disciplinary literacy. This program follows up NWP's "What's Next: Possibilities for Literacy and Content Area Learning conference" held in March 2010 in New Orleans.
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Additional Resources
An Annotated Bibliography for Elizabeth Birr Moje
May 2010
Judith Rodby
Elizabeth Birr Moje, self-described "friend of the National Writing Project," offers some of the most provocative viewpoints in content area literacy research today. This annotated bibliography can serve as a primer of some of her recent works.
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Redefining Content Area Literacy Teacher Education: Finding My Voice through Collaboration
Harvard Educational Review,
September 2008
In this essay, Roni Jo Draper shares her journey as a content area literacy educator, her belief that content literacy should promote mastery of the intellectual discourse of the discipline, and her ideas about how to increase collaboration between literacy and content area specialists.
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“Book Whisperer” Discusses How to Encourage Young Readers
October 2009
Donalyn Miller, teacher-consultant with the North Star of Texas Writing Project and author of the recently published The Book Whisperer, lends insight into her work in this interview with NWP.
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National Reading Initiative Keywords Project
November 2007
Marcie Wolfe
Created by participants in the National Reading Initiative Lead Sites Project, this resource describes a process for involving educators in identifying and questioning a shared vocabulary for the study of reading.
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The Path Toward Opening Night: One Road to Literacy
October 2009
Ben Bates
Ben Bates, co-director of the Oklahoma State Writing Project, explores the premise that directed script reading and play production provide roads to literacy for his students.
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Book Review: Culture, Literacy, and Learning: Taking Bloom in the Midst of the Whirlwind by Carol D. Lee
January 2009
Stephen Gordon
Carol Lee reports on her teaching students to respond to literature in a Chicago public school. She concludes that teachers can succeed if they have knowledge about the language, culture, cognition, motivation, and social/emotional realities of urban students.
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Book Review: Three Books Frame Content Area Literacy in Discussion of 21st Century Literacies
October 2008
Ken Martin
Three books on content area literacy instruction aim to help teachers think about the literacy demands of all content areas while framing their arguments in a larger discussion of 21st century literacies.
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Reading Researcher Advocates Strengthening Literacy Programs Through Reading-Writing Synergy
Fall 2007
P. David Pearson
Reading researcher P. David Pearson shares his thoughts about how the synergy between reading and writing holds implications for developing literacy in classrooms.
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Book Review: Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature K–6
December 2008
Lisa Light
Mentor Texts, written by two writing project teacher-consultants, offers explicit ideas, clear models, and inspiration for teaching writing to students in kindergarten through middle school.
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Book Review: Literature Is Back! Using the Best Books for Teaching Readers and Writers Across Genres
December 2008
Lisa Light
Lisa Light, co-director at Jacksonville State University Writing Project, describes Literature Is Back! as a lifeline to primary/intermediate and middle school teachers, with lists of books and practical research-supported ideas for using children's literature to teach key literacy skills and strategies.
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