Best Selling Books by Nancy Frey

You know that repeating the same words and the same instructions—or simply announcing the answers to questions—doesn''t help students learn. How do you get past the predictable and really teach your kids how to learn? Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey say that helping students develop immediate and lifelong learning skills is best achieved through guided instruction, which they define as "saying or doing the just-right thing to get the learner to do cognitive work"—in other words, gradually and successfully transferring knowledge and the responsibility for learning to students through scaffolds for learning. In this helpful and informative book, they explain how guided instruction fits your classroom and works for your students. Their four-part system for implementation consists of these elements: * Questioning to check for understanding. * Prompting to facilitate students'' thinking processes and processing. * Cueing to shift students'' attention to focus on specific information, errors, or partial understandings. * Explaining and modeling when students do not have sufficient knowledge to complete tasks on their own. Each element is thoroughly explained and illustrated with numerous examples drawn from the authors'' extensive experience in the classroom and their observations of hundreds of expert teachers, as well as a broad sampling of relevant research. Aimed at teachers at all grade levels, across the curriculum, Guided Instruction will help you provide timely and meaningful scaffolds that boost students to higher levels of understanding and accomplishment.

This popular guide offers a wealth of innovative, research-based strategies for making K–12 classrooms the best learning environments they can be. Easy-to-implement best practices are presented for establishing a classroom management plan, organizing procedures and materials, building a respectful community, fostering peer collaboration, and engaging students in interactive learning. Each of the 50 strategies includes step-by-step instructions, the amount of time needed to implement, and the recommended grade level. In a large-size format for easy photocopying, the book features ready-to-use reproducibles.

Imagine a school with a diverse student body where everyone feels safe and valued, and all—regardless of race, culture, home language, sexual orientation, gender identity, academic history, and individual challenges—have the opportunity to succeed with interesting classes, projects, and activities. In this school, teachers notice and meet individual instructional needs and foster a harmonious and supportive environment. All students feel empowered to learn, to grow, and to pursue their dreams. This is the school every student needs and deserves. In Building Equity, Dominique Smith, Nancy Frey, Ian Pumpian, and Douglas Fisher, colleagues at San Diego’s innovative Health Sciences High & Middle College, introduce the Building Equity Taxonomy, a new model to clarify the structural and interpersonal components of an equitable and excellent schooling experience, and the Building Equity Review and Audit, survey-based tools to help school and teacher leaders uncover equity-related issues and organize their efforts to achieve Physical integration Social-emotional engagement Opportunity to learn Instructional excellence Engaged and inspired learners Built on the authors’ own experiences and those of hundreds of educators throughout the United States, this book is filled with examples of policy initiatives and practices that support high-quality, inclusive learning experiences and deliver education that meets critical standards of equality and equity.

Better Learning Through Structured Teaching describes how teachers can help students develop stronger learning skills by ensuring that instruction moves from modeling and guided practice (situations where the teacher has most of the responsibility) to collaborative learning and, finally, to independent tasks. You''ll find out how to use the four components of this approach to help meet critical challenges, including differentiating instruction and making effective use of class time: 1. Focus Lessons: Establishing the lesson’s purpose and then modeling your own thinking for students.2. Guided Instruction: Working with small groups of students who have similar results on performance assessments. 3. Collaborative Learning: Enabling students to discuss and negotiate with one another to create independent work, not simply one project. 4. Independent Tasks: Requiring students to use their previous knowledge to create new and authentic products. The authors explore each component using student dialogues and examples from a variety of disciplines and grade levels. They provide tips and tools for successfully implementing this instructional approach in your own classroom, including checklists for classroom setup and routines, critical questions, real-world lesson plans, and more. No matter what grade level you teach, Better Learning Through Structured Teaching is your essential guide to helping students develop and expand their capacity for authentic and long-lasting learning.

Fisher & Frey’s answer to close and critical reading Learn the best ways to use text-dependent questions as scaffolds during close reading and the big understandings they yield. But that’s just for starters. Fisher and Frey also include illustrative video, texts and questions, cross-curricular examples, and an online facilitator’s guide—making the two volumes of TDQ a potent professional development tool across all of K–12. The genius of TDQ is the way Fisher and Frey break down the process into four cognitive pathways: What does the text say? How does the text work? What does the text mean? What does the text inspire you to do?

Provide the perfect structure and support to develop student independence. Effective scaffolding leads to learner autonomy—but too many educators have been airlifting students to right answers, perpetuating a generation who don’t know how to learn. Yes, we know the sweet spot for learning involves giving our students the right blend of productive failure and productive success, but how to do it is cloaked in misconceptions. How Scaffolding Works unveils the essential moves and methods. Ten interactive modules help every K-12 educator structure support in new ways, including knowing how to: Gradually release responsibility to students through intentional and purposeful scaffolding Design lessons and experiences that attend to the affective, metacognitive, and cognitive aspects of learning Collect data before, during, and after learning, so we can place, move, and take away scaffolds with greater intention Promote independence with front-end scaffolds, distributed scaffolds, back-end scaffolds, peer scaffolds, and fading scaffolds Use a blend of demonstration, modeling, coaching, explaining, questioning and choice Promote purposeful practice—in which learners knows where they’re going and how to get there Perhaps we rush in to rescue learners because the world seems fraught; we want to help our students reach the safety of academic success. Our intentions are good, but it’s time to step back, gradually and purposefully, and let them pilot their own learning.

Turn good intentions into better outcomes—by design! Why leave student success up to chance? By combining your intuition and experience with the latest research on high-impact learning practices, you can evolve your teaching from good to great and make a lasting difference for your students. Organized around the DIIE framework, Great Teaching by Design takes you step-by-step from intention to implementation to accelerate the impact your teaching has on student learning. Inside, you’ll find: A deep dive into the four stages of the DIIE model: Diagnosis and Discovery, Intervention, Implementation, and Evaluation A fresh look at the Visible Learning research, which identifies the most powerful strategies for teaching and learning Stories of best practices in action and examples from classrooms around the world Great teaching may come by chance, but it will come by design. Whether you’re new to teaching or looking to give your instruction a boost, take up the challenge and discover a new framework for teaching with true intentionality.

Drive collaboration and improve student learning with PLC+ Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have long been celebrated as a powerful tool for driving collaboration and improving student outcomes. But what if there was a way to take your PLC work to the next level? Your Introduction to PLC+: Building Collaborative Teams That Drive Student Success introduces the next-generation PLC model that prioritizes collective efficacy and actionable strategies by focusing on five essential questions: Where are we going? Where are we now? How do we move learning forward? What did we learn today? Who benefited and who did not? PLC+ emphasizes identifying and applying evidence-based instruction that values the background of every student, ensuring access and opportunities for all. Team members begin by identifying a common challenge. Then, the clear PLC+ framework, practical tools, and research-based strategies ensure that team efforts directly improve teaching practices and student outcomes. This playbook includes: Protocols and tools that promote data-driven decision-making and actionable plans. Engaging features like "Two Truths and a Lie," self-assessment tools, and implementation-ready scenarios. Practical strategies to measure the real-time impact of collaborative efforts. An interactive design with ample space to reflect on your learning and outline steps to build collective efficacy. Transform your professional learning community today. Whether you′re a teacher or school leader, Your Introduction to PLC+ equips you with the knowledge and skills to collaborate effectively and lead with clarity and confidence. Together, you’ll create effective and impactful learning environments that ensure every student thrives.

Lay the foundation for inclusive, impactful classrooms where every student thrives Every student deserves an education that is meaningful, memorable, and built for them. When we design learning with intentional, universal support, the impact extends beyond individual students—it transforms entire classrooms. In Every Child Deserves a Special Education, the authors introduce five powerful mindframes that reshape the way we think about teaching, learning, and inclusion. These mindframes spark a cycle of reflection and growth, shifting not just what we do, but how we see our students, our classrooms, and our role as educators. Inside, you’ll find: Five essential educator mindframes—helping you plan for both diverse learners and the diversity within each learner Stories and examples that bring these mindframes to life through real classroom experiences Reflection tools to help you examine and refine your own beliefs and practices True inclusion starts with how we think, not just what we do. Every Child Deserves a Special Education will help you build the mindset every classroom needs for all students to thrive.

How to Activate and Accelerate Student Learning Have you ever given instructions to your students, only to receive blank stares or confusion? Clarity is an essential part of teaching and learning, and every interaction we have with students is the foundation for moving learning forward—we must make every interaction count. Backed by the latest education research on what really works, Teacher Clarity spotlights the newest and best teaching strategies and explains the importance of clear learning intentions, success criteria, lesson design, progress monitoring, and more. Inside, you’ll discover how teacher clarity Helps educators make informed decisions around teaching and learning Demands that educators keep the "big picture" in mind Allows educators to integrate optimal teaching and learning experiences at the right time Tells us what evidence we must generate around teaching and learning and what steps to take next Organized around the four critical components of teacher clarity—organization, explanations, examples, and assessments—and filled with samples for all content and grade levels, Teacher Clarity is your essential guidebook for unlocking your learners’ potential.

How can teachers guarantee that what they teach results in students learning what they really need to know? In The Purposeful Classroom: How to Structure Lessons with Learning Goals in Mind, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey present a variety of strategies that teachers at all levels can use to ensure that students clearly understand the purpose behind every lesson. They provide step-by-step guidance to help teachers * Understand the difference between standards, objectives, and purpose statements, and craft the latter in terms that students can easily grasp. * Involve students in understanding and "owning" the purpose of every lesson. * Motivate students by conveying the relevance of content to students'' lives. * Develop classroom activities and assessments that allow students to demonstrate both their mastery of lesson content and their understanding of the lesson''s core purpose. From initiating lesson plans to evaluating student work, all aspects of lesson development and implementation are discussed in this lively and practical book. Filled with specific examples of effective purpose statements, assignments, and tests across grade levels and content areas, The Purposeful Classroom is essential reading for all teachers who want their students to truly understand what they are learning and why.

Time Saving AI Tools that Make Learning More Engaging Busy educators need tools that support their planning and provide them with more time with students. While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising solution, it can only help if we’re willing to learn how to use it in ways that improve upon what we already do well. The Artificial Intelligence Playbook: Time Saving Tools that Make Learning More Engaging is here to empower teachers to explore AI’s potential and discover practical ways to implement it to enhance their planning and instruction. Two chapters and 6 "Educator Functions" guide teachers step-by-step through how to purposely use AI to: Compose Writing Prompts and Avoid Plagiarism Manage Content Foster Student Engagement Meet Students’ Instructional Needs Assess Student Learning Continue Lifelong Learning Though AI has the potential to reduce workload for educators, it will never replace teachers. Your connection with students is irreplaceable—and greatly impacts their learning. Consider AI a valuable tool that provides you with more time to build and sustain those vital relationships with students and that can assist them in learning at the very same time.

This is Balanced Literacy: Grades K-6 Students learn to read and write best when their teachers balance literacy instruction. But how do you strike the right balance of skills and knowledge, reading and writing, small and whole group instruction, and direct and dialogic instruction, so that all students can learn to their maximum potential? The answer lies in the intentional design of learning activities, purposeful selection of instructional materials, evidence-based teaching methods, and in strategic groupings of students based on assessment data. Together, these create the perfect balance of high impact learning experiences that engage and excite learners. In this hands-on essential guide, best-selling authors Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Nancy Akhavan help you define that balance for your students, lighting the path to implementing balanced literacy in your classroom. Their plan empowers you to integrate evidence-based approaches that include: • Instructional materials comprised of both informational and narrative texts. • The best uses of instructional delivery modes, including direct and dialogic instruction. • Grouping patterns that work best to accomplish learning aims for different learners at different stages. • Instruction in foundational skills and meaning making, including oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. • Technology used as a tool for increasing learning of a specific literary process. All the tips and tools you need to realize the goal of balanced literacy learning are included, with classroom videos that show strategies in action. Tap your intuition, collaborate with your peers, and put the research-based strategies embedded in this roadmap to work in your classroom to implement or deepen a strong, successful balanced literacy program. Grow as a reading and writing teacher while leading your students to grow as readers and writers.

When learning progressions and success criteria are clear, students achieve. It’s that simple—because it indicates that teachers are intentional and learners know both the why and the how behind every endeavor. With The Teacher Clarity Playbook, you now have the tools and templates to make it happen. Designed for PLCs or independent teacher use, it guides practitioners to align lessons, objectives, and outcomes of learning seamlessly, so that the classroom hours flow productively for everyone. Written by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, Olivia Amador, and Joseph Assof, educators dedicated to making high-impact, research-based practices a part of every teacher’s repertoire.

Student learning communities (SLCs) are more than just a different way of doing group work. Like the professional learning communities they resemble, SLCs provide students with a structured way to solve problems, share insight, and help one another continually develop new skills and expertise. With the right planning and support, dynamic collaborative learning can thrive everywhere. In this book, educators Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Almarode explain how to create and sustain student learning communities by - Designing group experiences and tasks that encourage dialogue; - Fostering the relational conditions that advance academic, social, and emotional development; - Providing explicit instruction on goal setting and opportunities to practice progress monitoring; - Using thoughtful teaming practices to build cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional regulation skills; - Teaching students to seek, give, and receive feedback that amplifies their own and others'' learning; and - Developing the specific leadership skills and strategies that promote individual and group success. Examples from face-to-face and virtual K–12 classrooms help to illustrate what SLCs are, and teacher voices testify to what they can achieve. No more hoping the group work you''re assigning will be good enough—or that collaboration will be its own reward. No more crossing your fingers for productive outcomes or struggling to keep order, assess individual student contributions, and ensure fairness. Student Learning Communities shows you how to equip your students with what they need to learn in a way that is truly collective, makes them smarter together than they would be alone, creates a more positive classroom culture, and enables continuous academic and social-emotional growth.

In this playbook, a team of educators shows how to guide self-starting learners. Modules cover how to: cohere standards, success criteria, tasks, and goals; offer tools for learners to recognize the gap between current and expected performance, and form strategies to close the gap; talk with students about engagement as a continuum, and actions they can take; stress-test lesson plans; and use low-stakes assessment and feedback routines to develop effective collaboration.

50+ Instructional Strategies for Developing Independent Learners Discover over 50 strategies to meet your students where they are and help them succeed. Every teacher faces a recurring question in the classroom: What strategy will help this student learn right now? With hundreds of potential strategies available, the challenge lies in choosing the right approach at the right time. Instructional Strategies to Move Learning Forward does exactly that, equipping educators with thoughtfully curated instructional strategies designed to advance learning for all students. Grounded in the Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) framework, this book empowers you to select and implement purposeful strategies that address your students′ specific needs at a specific moment in their learning while ensuring long-term success. This content-rich guide provides practical tools and insights that emphasize why, when, and how instructional strategies can move learning forward, with: Research-informed rationale for why each strategy works and how each supports meaningful learning Detailed step-by-step guidance for implementation, ensuring every strategy can be immediately applied in your classroom Adaptability across contexts: Strategies designed for use across grades, content areas, and student needs—including multilingual learners and those requiring differentiated support Connections for each strategy to the GRR framework for cohesive lesson planning and consistent results This resource is not about collecting tools; it’s about reflection, intentionality, and impact. Whether you’re a new teacher seeking strategies to build your toolkit or an experienced educator refining your craft, this book will help you make informed instructional decisions that lead to powerful learning opportunities. Learn how to foster clarity, connection, and critical thinking in your students while building confident and independent learners.

Imagine a classroom where every lesson feels like a step toward a clear and meaningful destination. The Illustrated Guide to Teacher Clarity by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey offers an accessible, fully illustrated introduction to the essential aspects of Teacher Clarity. Engaging visuals and infographics bring the principles of Teacher Clarity to life, making the basics easy to understand, remember, and apply. Teacher Clarity is not a single strategy or technique—it is a mindset and a commitment to designing and delivering instruction in ways that make learning visible and attainable for all students. Start with The Illustrated Guide to Teacher Clarity to build your foundation, then move into The Teacher Clarity Playbook to focus on and practice writing learning progressions, learning intentions, and success criteria for your own classroom. With the Illustrated Guide, teachers will: Grasp the "why" behind Teacher Clarity. Discover the easy-to-follow Teacher Clarity process that seamlessly weaves together a thoughtful analysis of standards, intentional organization of lessons, meaningful assessment, and responsive instruction. Gain actionable strategies to invite students into the learning process as partners—encouraging them to take ownership, build confidence, and develop the skills they need to thrive both in school and beyond. Get 25+ videos, clarity checklists, and other ready-to-use tools to help you bring Teacher Clarity to your classroom. The Illustrated Guide to Teacher Clarity and The Teacher Clarity Playbook provide a complete path—first to understanding clarity, then to bringing it to life in your teaching practice.

What it really means to "read closely." What could Fern Arable, Jay Gatsby, and Winston Churchill possibly have in common? They all need masterful teachers to help students revel in their complexity. And Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher are just the two mentors to help you make that happen. Call it close reading, call it deep reading, call it analytic reading--call it what you like. The point is, it''s a level of understanding that students of any age can achieve with the right kind of instruction. In Rigorous Reading, Nancy and Doug articulate an instructional plan so clearly, and so squarely built on research, that teachers, schools, and districts need look no further. The 5 Access Points Toward Proficiency Purpose & Modeling: Teachers think aloud to demonstrate critical thinking and how good readers always know why they are reading. Close & Scaffolded Reading Instruction: Teachers engage students in repeated readings and discussions, with text-dependent questions, prompts, and cues to help students delve into an author''s ideas. Collaborative Conversations: Teachers orchestrate collaborative learning to get students in the habit of exercising their analytical thinking in the presence of their peers. An Independent Reading Staircase: Teachers artfully steer students to more challenging books, with strategic bursts of instruction and peer conferences to foster metacognitive awareness. Performance: Teachers offer feedback and assessments that help students demonstrate understanding of text in authentic ways and plan instruction based on student understanding. There''s more . . . Also included are illustrative classroom video clips available via QR codes along with an online Facilitator''s Guide with PowerPoints--making Rigorous Reading the only resource a teacher, school, or district needs to seriously stretch students'' capacity to read and comprehend text.