The best way to understand text is to think and talk about it. This NEW professional guide defines what purposeful talk is, why it is important, and how it increases comprehension. Students will be empowered to have meaningful discussions about texts as they implement the effective strategies modeled in this book. Research-based strategies promote building meaningful conversations with students Model lessons from real classrooms demonstrate how to utilize these effective approaches to get students thinking and talking about text Support is provided for teachers to design lessons and think through essential instructional elements that will ensure successful implementation and gradually release responsibility to students