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Explicit instruction is systematic, direct, engaging, and success oriented — and has been shown to promote achievement for all students. This highly practical and accessible resource gives special and general education teachers the tools to implement explicit instruction in any grade level or content area. The authors are leading experts who provide clear guidelines for identifying key concepts, skills, and routines to teach; designing and delivering effective lessons; and giving students opportunities to practice and master new material. Sample lesson plans, lively examples, and reproducible checklists and teacher worksheets enhance the utility of the volume. 

From one of the preeminent experts on reading and dyslexia, the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and practical book available on identifying, understanding, and overcoming reading problems — now revised to reflect the latest research and evidence-based approaches. Extensively updated information on helping both dyslexic children and adults become better readers, with a detailed home program to enhance reading.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, once housed an area called Black Wall Street. Successful African Americans owned and operated business in Greenwood, a section of the city. Without downplaying the horror, author and illustrator combine talents to present this brutal historical event in words and image. Additional resources are included.

Kenny is a whirlwind of everyday activities. Children will recognize what Kenny does in four vignettes — from getting up to getting dressed to getting ready for bed with lots in-between.  Swirling black lines and touches of color on open pages present an active boy in a warm family.

She was named after a white actress of the time, but this young Black girl’s life took a very different path. Claudette Colvin became a 15-year-old activist who refused to give up a bus seat to a white woman — before Rosa Parks. This early chapter biography makes a difficult and complex time and life accessible to younger readers. Look for additional titles in this thoroughly researched, well conceived, and thoughtfully presented series.

Extensive research about a previously unknown African American aviator whose story of perseverance and desire to fly resulted in a handsome, well told biography. Banning crossed the country gaining support and respect along the way. Extensive back matter is included.

While Milo and his sister travel on a subway, Milo observes other passengers drawing them in his sketchbook. But appearances don’t always reveal the whole story Milo learns. When he and his sister arrive at the prison to visit their mom, so does a boy from the subway. The illustrator’s signature illustrations are the perfect complement to the moving, understated text.

The author first “met” Zora Neale Hurston in college intrigued by a friend’s delight in Hurston’s stories. With equal delight, Hurston’s life and “storycatching” comes to life through an informal telling echoed in animated illustrations worth multiple examinations.

Henry Brown’s unique method to escape from slavery is presented in lyrical language and rich, multi-layered mixed media illustration. A box took Henry from slavery to freedom after his entire family had been “sold south.” Further resources are included.

Meet colorful characters of the Wild West including a cigar-chewing stagecoach driver named Mary as well as other formerly enslaved people. The comic book format provides a brief but factual introduction to the period, to spark young readers’ interest in learning more about lesser known people of the Old West.

Nine months before Rosa Parks’ history-making protest on a city bus, Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old Montgomery, Alabama, high-school student, was arrested and jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Based on extensive interviews with Colvin and many others, this book presents the first in-depth account of an important yet largely unknown civil rights figure, skillfully weaving her dramatic story into the fabric of the historic Montgomery bus boycott and court case that would change the course of American history.

“Do you want to play?” That’s what Jamie, with her favorite yellow truck, asks new kid Dylan, who only seems to want to line up his cars. This story gently explores learning about others and finding new ways to have fun. One of the most common issues for kids with autism is friendship. Children’s books sometimes depict the neurotypical child as doing their autistic pal a favor by befriending them, often forcing them to change a part of themselves. This story shows us that children with autism are more than capable of making meaningful contributions to relationships, and suggests how neurotypical children can alter their own approach to create a true connection.

This picture book explores sensory differences. For the young girl in the story, the vibration in her feet when she runs, the tap-tap-tap of her fork on the table at mealtime, the trickle of cool water running over her hand — these are the things that calm her jitters down. This book is for anyone who has ever felt the need for a wiggle, stomp, or squeeze!

Seven-year-old Anthony has autism. He flaps his hands. He makes strange noises. He can’t speak or otherwise communicate his thoughts. Treatments, therapies, and theories about his condition define his daily existence. Yet Anthony isn’t improving much. This debut work of fiction sheds light on the inner and outer lives of children with nonspeaking autism, and on their two worlds — and how they navigate their way through the multitude of theories about autism that have affected the lives of many children and their families. As one of the few works of fiction written by a person with non-speaking autism, it offers readers an insider’s point-of-view into autism and life in silence, with warmth, humor, and sharp intellect.

Vivy Cohen, an 11-year-old with autism, won’t let anything stop her from playing baseball — not when she has a major-league star as her pen pal. This novel-in-letters captures Vivy’s growing sense of her own capabilities. It’s a satisfying baseball story that never minimizes the challenges of autism but celebrates skill, determination, and love for the game.

Nobody knows comics trivia like Stanley knows comics trivia. It’s what he takes comfort in when the world around him gets to be too much. And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through. Help is what he needs, because Stanley’s entered Trivia Quest — a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt — to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. See our interview with the author, Sally J. Pla ›

Sadie feels like her thoughts are soaring into the clouds and she can’t bring them back down to earth. She has trouble paying attention, which makes keeping track of schoolwork, friends, chores, and everything else really tough. Sometimes she can only focus on her mistakes. When Sadie talks to her parents about her wandering, dreaming mind, they offer a clever plan to help remind Sadie how amazing she is. Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers with more information on ADHD, self-esteem, and helping children focus on the positives.

Charlie feels like he has a whirling, twirling motor running inside him all the time and sometimes he just can’t settle. When his mom wants to talk to him, he figures he’s in trouble … but she has a surprise for him instead! Includes a Note to Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers with more information on ADHD, behavior management, and helping children focus on the positives.

In this pocket guide for individuals who support autistic students, nine-year-old Diego (who is nonverbal) concisely articulates the challenges and dilemmas he faces with his sensory system, communication, and motor system. He thoughtfully explores the implications and possibilities of these challenges as a primary school student. His experiences nudge educators, therapists, parents, and students to rethink their approaches to supporting individuals who are autistic and non-speaking. Diego’s words reveal a disarming truth. The real experts of autism are actually autistic themselves.

This book opens a window into nonverbal autism through dozens of short, autobiographical essays each offering new insights into autism symptoms, effective and ineffective treatments, and the inner emotional life of a severely autistic boy. In his essays, author Ido Kedar, a brilliant 16-year-old with autism, challenges what he believes are misconceptions in many theories that dominate autism treatment today while he chronicles his personal growth in his struggles to overcome his limitations.

Alfonso Julián learned to communicate when he was seven years old and showed that people with non-speaking autism have a lot to say and contribute. In this book, Alfonso presents a collection of his personal writings about his experience. Alfonso continues to write and advocate for non-speaking individuals.

Naoki Higashida shares his thoughts and experiences as a young man living each day with severe autism. In short, powerful chapters, Higashida explores school memories, family relationships, the exhilaration of travel, and the difficulties of speech. He also allows readers to experience profound moments we take for granted, like the thought-steps necessary for him to register that it’s raining outside. Acutely aware of how strange his behavior can appear to others, he aims throughout to foster a better understanding of autism and to encourage society to see people with disabilities as people, not as problems.

Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming 13-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that provides a window into how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds. It is a “… wise, beautiful, intimate and courageous explanation of autism as it is lived every day by one remarkable boy.”

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, flee Somalia’s war to become refugees in a United Nations camp in Kenya. Based on Omar’s life, this riveting story is honestly told yet conveys a clear sense of hope. The graphic format provides an entry into the sights, sounds, and challenges of living in a sprawling camp. Back matter provides additional information and detail about Omar and his life story.