Content-Area Conversations : How to Plan Discussion-Based Lessons for Diverse Language Learners

Teachers across the country are seeking ways to make their multicultural classrooms come alive with student talk about content. Content-Area Conversations: How to Plan Discussion-Based Lessons for Diverse Language Learners is a practical, hands-on guide to creating and managing environments that spur sophisticated levels of student communication, both oral and written. Paying special attention to the needs of English language learners, the authors: Detail research-based steps for designing lessons that spark student talk; Share real-life classroom scenarios and dialogues that bring theory to life; Describe easy-to-use assessments for all grade levels; Provide rubrics, worksheets, sentence frames, and other imaginative tools that encourage academic communication; and, Offer guiding questions to help teachers plan instruction.