WestEd has enjoyed leading the Doing What Works website for decades and remains committed to bringing evidence into practice via services and resources posted on WestEd.org.
Sort by: Most Recently Published Most Viewed Most Highly Rated Most Recently Published by Resource Type
Adolescent Literacy > Text Discussion > See How It Works
Listen to a teacher talk about how she scaffolds text discussion using pair-share, small group discussion, and large group share-out activities. Hear her description of the gradual release of...
School Example
Kelly O'Brien scaffolds text discussion by modeling strategies for thinking about text, helps students make connections, and provides guidelines for organizing reading for meaning. View the related...
Ninth-grade Humanities teacher Rebecca Wieder describes how she facilitates literature circle discussions. Wieder's students discuss a novel in groups where each plays a role: summarizer,...
Listen to high school English teacher Jim Burke describe the importance of providing opportunities for adolescents to discuss text. He explains how he establishes a supportive environment for...
Adolescent Literacy > Vocabulary Instruction > See How It Works
In this video, math teacher Maureen Ferry talks about how she uses vocabulary games and journals to help students develop an understanding of new words. View the related sample material, Middle...
See how a seventh-grade teacher, Carlton Cartwright, uses daily unit lessons, informal methods, and multiple exposures to teach word meaning. View the related sample material, Greek Myths:...
Jill MacKay describes the explicit vocabulary strategies she uses in an intensive, supplemental reading class for English learners. Watch how she uses modeling, visual aids, and multiple exposures...
Listen to principal Caroline Bloxom describe a schoolwide vocabulary program used across content areas and the importance of teaming to its success. Download the sample material, Content Area...
Reading Comprehension > Engage Students > See How It Works
Watch a second-grade classroom demonstration of a teacher engaging students in text discussion using multiple techniques focused on questioning. Throughout the lesson, the teacher builds on...
View this video about a reading program that engages students in science inquiry projects. Students are motivated to read in order to develop their questions, seek answers, and learn new information.
Watch how a third-grade teacher uses partner sharing to help her students discuss questions about what they are reading. She supports her students’ talk by laying the groundwork for effective...
Hear a principal describe how he motivates staff and keeps students focused on reading using a variety of strategies, including three different types of walk-throughs. He discusses the...
