This book presents an ambitious model for how educators can design high-quality, challenging, and supportive learning opportunities for English Learners and other students identified to be in need of language and literacy support. Starting with the premise that conceptual, analytic, and language practices develop simultaneously as students engage in disciplinary learning, the authors argue for instruction that amplifies―rather than simplifies―expectations, concepts, texts, and learning tasks. The authors offer clear guidance for designing lessons and units and provide examples that demonstrate the approach in various subject areas, including math, science, English, and social studies. This practical resource will guide teachers through the coherent design of tasks, lessons, and units of study that invite English Learners (and all students) to engage in productive, meaningful, and intellectually engaging activity. Book
Donna E. Alvermann teaches courses in popular culture and adolescent literacy at the University of Georgia, where she holds the title of Distinguished Research Professor in Language and Literacy Education. Donna has been a middle/junior high school teacher in Houston, Texas, and Elmira, New York. She has been a fan of “all things pop culture” since the mid-1950s, when she was president of the James Dean Fan Club. Currently, she counts Facebook, YouTube, and Second Life among her favorite pop culture texts.