Concept-Based Literacy Lessons: Designing Learning to Ignite Understanding and Transfer, Grades 4-10, Mar/2019

Literacy is not a decontextualized drill of skills or learning just about “a book.” You will highlight, ponder, and tab as you read about the design of Concept-Based literacy lessons. All students deserve the best literacy instruction—and this IS the BEST.
—H. Lynn Erickson

The guide for designing and implementing Concept-Based literacy lessons

A Concept-Based Curriculum is designed to help students uncover important, transferable understandings about what it means to be a capable reader, writer, speaker, viewer, listener, and thinker. But, too often, a well-designed, conceptual curriculum does not translate into conceptual teaching. Concept Based Literacy Lessons helps bridge that divide, and provides practical support for teachers implementing Concept-Based literacy lessons.

This essential guide picks up where the book, Designing Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts left off. Authors Lois Lanning and Tiffanee Brown explain how to move from design to actionable practice by providing tools and examples straight from the classroom. They’ll also show teachers how to use common literacy instructional practices (such as Socratic Seminar, close reading, think aloud, explicit instruction, and so forth) to support students' transfer of conceptual understanding.

Written especially for literacy teachers, readers will find

1. Step-by-step help with lesson planning for conceptual understanding and transfer
2. Ideas for supporting inductive learning
3. Classroom Snapshots that showcase familiar literacy practices in Concept-Based classrooms
4. Strategies to promote critical, reflective, and conceptual thinking
5. Model elementary and secondary Concept-Based lesson and unit plans
6. A chapter devoted to answering frequently asked questions 

For educators looking for practical ways to implement a Curriculum and Instruction Model that’s more inquiry-driven and idea-centered, look no further than this book.

About the Authors:

Lois A. Lanning, PhD, is an independent education consultant.  She presents and works with districts at the international, national, and state levels in the areas of literacy and Concept- Based Curriculum design.

This book is a natural extension of her three previous best-selling books in the Corwin Press Publisher’s Concept-Based collection, including Designing a Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts (2013), by Lois A. Lanning; Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom (2nd ed., 2017), by H. Lynn Erickson, Lois A. Lanning, and Rachel French; and Transitioning to Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (2014), by H. Lynn Erickson and Lois A. Lanning.

In addition, Lois is the author of the bestselling book, Four Powerful Strategies for Struggling Readers, Grades 3-8: Small Group Instruction That Improves Comprehension, a joint publication between Corwin Press and the International Reading Association (2009), and a chapter in The Best of Corwin: Differentiated Instruction in Literacy, Math, and Science (2011), Leslie Laud, Editor.

Lois was a classroom teacher, K-12 reading consultant, special education teacher, elementary school principal, district curriculum director, adjunct professor, and finally, an assistant superintendent of schools for the last 12 years of her career in public schools. Lois is the recipient of numerous educational awards and recognitions.

Her hobbies include reading, biking, hiking, and traveling. Lois currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband. She has two children and two grandsons, whom she absolutely adores.

Tiffanee M. Brown, MS SpEd, is an educational consultant, National Board Certified English language arts teacher, and a teacher-leader in her school district. As an independent Dr. H. Lynn Erickson and Dr. Lois A. Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Presenter and Trainer, she presents and works with districts at both the regional and international levels.

Through her current position as an Instructional Design Consultant Teacher on the Teaching and Learning Team for Burlington-Edison School District in Burlington, Washington, Tiffanee leads the development of the district's Concept-Based Curriculum in science, social studies, and English language arts, supports K-12 learning design and literacy across the district, and she facilitates the new teacher induction program.

Dr. Lois A. Lanning's Designing a Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts (2013, Corwin) forever changed Tiffanee's perspective on teaching and learning, and set her passion for transforming literacy instruction in motion. She is thrilled to be the co-author of this book to support other teachers as they strive to engage the hearts and minds of students. Tiffanee has contributed examples and resources to several recent books published by Corwin including, Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom, 2nd Edition (Erickson, Lanning, and French, 2017), Concept-Based Inquiry in Action (Marshall and French, 2018) and Measuring Human Return (McEachen and Kane, 2018).

Before transitioning to her current position, Tiffanee taught English language arts, social studies, reading interventions, service learning, leadership, and various other classes at the middle and high school levels. She is the recipient of numerous educator grants.

Tiffanee and her husband currently live in Washington with their two very active children. When she is not taking her kids to soccer tournaments, or basketball games, she enjoys reading, gardening, snow skiing, traveling, and pretty much anything else outdoors.