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Many elementary teachers shy away from using expository literature for interactive read-alouds in their classrooms, preferring and privileging narrative texts over this type of nonfiction. This article first shares the complementary benefits of moving beyond fiction and narrative nonfiction in educators' read-aloud practices. Affordances include increased student knowledge and vocabulary, greater understanding of expository text structures and features, and heightened engagement. The article then features lesson plans demonstrating unique ways to use expository books for interactive read-alouds with elementary students. Additionally, readers are provided with high-quality expository texts educators may include in their classrooms.

Wordless picturebooks are most often used in classroom settings as writing prompts or scaffolds for developing language proficiency. This article introduces and describes a teacher‐led instructional practice that we call silent orchestration. The practice provides a place and space for students' personal transactions with wordless picturebooks situated in a community of learners. Silent orchestration has three main components: preparation, guided exploration, and appreciation. Each component is described and illustrated with an extended vignette from a fifth‐grade classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conferencing gives teachers and students opportunities to discuss student writing and provide feedback in individual settings. Practitioner guides offer suggestions on how conferences can be conducted, but little is known about what types of interactions occur. Two case studies, including a cross-case analysis, were conducted to describe key components of effective conferences in one sixth grade classroom. Results showed that a structured and predictable pattern emerged in which students identified the purpose for the conference, examined a main issue of content with their teacher, and planned for the future. These students took ownership of their writing conferences by directing the conferences, maintaining a serious tone, and establishing a safe and positive atmosphere.

This article presents a way to use award-winning books as mentor texts for very young writers. Books were selected as mentor texts from the winners of the Australian Early Childhood Children's Book of the Year Award and the American Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. The authors explain the value of using award-winning texts in the classroom and describe the respective processes by which the award-winning books are chosen. Sections of exemplary texts are highlighted to demonstrate how they can be used to show young writers examples of circular text structure, descriptive language, print manipulation, punctuation, and dialogue.