Differentiated Materials to Support RTI

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is a multitiered instructional model most frequently viewed as a three-tiered framework. The goal of RTI is to reach struggling students early and match instruction to their needs. According to the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities, (http://www.nrcld.org/), in multitiered models of service delivery, instruction is differentiated to meet learner needs at various levels. Several specific factors or dimensions help distinguish among interventions at the various tier levels. In general, a higher degree of specificity and intensity is associated with a higher tier of intervention.


EMC’s Mirrors & Windows offers a variety of differentiated support materials to meet the needs of students at all three tiers within the RTI learning model of instruction, as shown in the instructional pyramid chart below.
Meet the needs of all your students with Mirrors & Windows: Connecting with Literature program!

Mirrors & Windows Offers Support for Advanced Students

Universities and employers have found that many incoming students and entry-level employees lack the reading and writing skills needed to succeed in their new endeavors. Some blame this problem on a lack of rigor in the language arts programs at the high school level. Studies show that most students want to be challenged to gain the high-level skills that will help them succeed in college and in the workplace. This is especially true for advanced students.

EMC’s Differentiated Instruction for Advanced Students provides multiple opportunities to engage students and to teach them the skills necessary to excel in college-level, literature-based reading, thinking, discussion, and writing tasks. This supplement offfers students opportunities to hone their reading, writing, and research skills as they explore the rich world of literature and beyond. The activities are not busywork, but meaningful exercises of the mind that build skills students will need as they progress through college and careers. The assignments help students become deep thinkers, critical readers, and independent problem-solvers. As they are challenged to meet higher expectations, they will come closer to realizing their ever-expanding potential.

For more differentiated instruction for your students, EMC also offers Differentiated Instruction for Developing Readers and Differentiated Instruction English Language Learners.

Reach every student with Mirrors & Windows:

Connecting with Literature program!

Tony Romano named 2010 Illinois Author of the Year

EMC author Tony Romano has been tagged as the 2010 Illinois Author of the Year, and he'll be one of the featured speakers at Illinois Association of Teachers of English conference in October. Romano joins the ranks of esteemed authors who have previously won the award, such as Edgar Lee Masters (1974), Richard Peck (1977), Gwendolyn Brooks (1978), Carl Sandburg (1984), Sandra Cisneros (2003), Scott Turow (2007), and Li-Young Lee (2009).

Romano, who is one of the authors of EMC's Expository Composition book, has a website highlighting his published works, video, photos, etc. He includes a section on writing prompts that you can use in the classroom. http://www.tonyromanoauthor.com/Home_Page.html. Check out Tony's Facebook for updates.
On October 22, Romano and coauthor Gary Anderson will be presenting a session at the Illinois Association of Teachers of English conference: "Zapping Apathy: Creating a Sense of Community in the English Classroom."

National Poetry Slam 2010 in St. Paul, MN

The National Poetry Slam is taking place this week (August 3-August 7) in our very own St. Paul, Minnesota. The 21st annual National Poetry Slam will bring together 76 teams from across North America. Hundreds of the world’s best poets will converge on St. Paul for a five day festival of non-stop performances, workshops and heated performance poetry competitions.
These events will be held in numerous venues throughout downtown St. Paul - All leading up to team finals on Saturday August 7th, at the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

A colleague and I went down to POP in downtown St. Paul to hear one of the preliminary rounds Wednesday evening and were asked to be audience judges. It was an amazing experience. Those poets really pour out their hearts and souls! Don’t miss it! The schedule is available at http://www.nps2010.com/.

What is Slam Poetry? To see an example, make sure to check out the link on the National Poetry Slam website to Taylor Mali on what teachers make at youtube.com.