Describes how elementary teachers can build healthy learning communities through language, providing examples of words, phrases, and language use to help students become strategic thinkers and develop literacy skills In productive classrooms, teachers don't just teach students math and reading skills; they build emotionally and relationally healthy learning communities. Teachers create intellectual environments that produce not only technically competent students, but also caring, secure, actively literate human beings. Foreword by Richard Allington ix Acknowledgments xi Chapter 1 The Language of Influence in Teaching 1(10) Chapter 2 Noticing and Naming 11(11) Chapter 3 Identity 22(7) Chapter 4 Agency and Becoming Strategic 29(14) Chapter 5 Flexibility and Transfer (or Generalizing) 43(10) Chapter 6 Knowing 53(11) Chapter 7 An Evolutionary, Democratic Learning Community 64(12) Chapter 8 Who Do You Think You're Talking To? 76(11) Appendix A: The Fine Print 87(5) Appendix B: Four Fourth Graders 92(5) Appendix C: Analysis of Debbie Miller's Interaction with the Class and Brendan 97(2) References 99