The Nonfiction Now Lesson Bank, Grades 4-8

Dr. Nancy Akhavan, Ed. D. has spent more than 35 years as an educator and consultant. Dr. Akhavan is the founder of Nancy Akhavan Consulting, Inc. She recently retired from Fresno State as an Associate Professional Emerita. Dr. Akhavan has been a bilingual teacher, principal of three schools, and a district administrator of a large urban district for ELA, math, social studies, science and world languages. She also served as Assistant Superintendent Secondary Division in a large urban school district. Dr. Akhavan is recognized for her expertise in teaching literacy practices and has published thirteen books that focus on literacy instruction that increases student achievement She has worked with districts and county offices in multiple states and internationally to increase student achievement in reading, writing, and in content areas. She continues to provide professional development for leaders and teachers in literacy K-12, early literacy, content area literacy and English language development.

• Foreword by Jennifer SerravalloAcknowledgmentsPart I. The "Now" Factor of Nonfiction ReadingChapter 1. Yes, We Are Asking More of Our Nonfiction ReadersChapter 2. Model It: Four Lessons for Introducing Close ReadingChapter 3. Taming the Textbook: Strategies for Helping Students Handle These TomesChapter 4. The Key Strategies for Deep Reading NonfictionPart II. The Daily DuoChapter 5. The Daily Duo: A Sequence That Promotes Student Reading and Writing to LearnChapter 6. The Daily Layout of Teaching NonfictionChapter 7. Planning Instruction for Student SuccessPart III. The Lessons and TextsLessons for Getting Main Idea by Understanding Text StructuresPrereading and Think-Aloud Lessons for Main Idea and DetailsLessons That Support Students While Reading for Main Idea and DetailsAfter-Reading Engagements: Exploring the Main Ideas and Details in TextsSummarizing to ComprehendUnderstanding Key VocabularyWriting About ReadingAppendix: The Ready-to-Use TextsReproducible FormsReferencesPhoto CreditsIndex

"When you read this book what shines through is: Nancy is a teacher. Only a teacher would know that this is just-the-right book for teachers, right now. Right now, with the pressures to help kids read more and more complex texts, Nancy has a solution that is sensible. . . . Now, just as it’s always been, it’s about comprehension."