Conversations: Strategies for Teaching, Learning, and Evaluating

I'm a member of a mailring which includes classroom teachers and reading specialists (I'm a reading specialist). This book was recommended a number of times. I have so many professional books that I was leary of spending the money on one more, but I was at a workshop where I was able to preview the book and was impressed.I purchased the book, and I was not disappointed! It's easy to read and has a lot of down-to-earth ideas based on the latest research and includes numerous charts, checklists and student work samples. It follows right along with expansion of ideas from Mosaic of Thought and Strategies That Work. I especially love the section on retelling.I think teachers at any grade level could benefit from this book. There are examples at every level. This is not the kind of book you read from cover to cover. I'll use it as a reference book for years to come.

This book is an incredible source of information for teaching any aspect of a Language Arts program. It details reading approaches and writing techniques and shows how to bring them together for a Balanced Literacy Program. It also has a great index in the back listing all kinds of resources and childrens books.