What are some effective and practical ways to differentiate reading comprehension strategies for English learners? How does motivation, relationship building, and autonomy impact student growth? How might family engagement strategies like home visits help provide actionable insight leading to better reading comprehension and perhaps more importantly, a joy in reading? We discuss these topics and much more with Larry Ferlazzo. 

Larry  teaches English, Social Studies and International Baccalaureate classes to English Language Learners and mainstream students at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California.

He has written nine books, the latest of which is titled The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox (with co-author Katie Hull Sypnieski). He and Katie are presently, editing a series of practical classroom books for Social Studies, Science and Math teachers. They are also preparing a second edition of our The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide.  In addition, he is writing a fourth book on student motivation, Building Intrinsic Motivation in the Classroom: A Practical Guide.

Larry has won several awards, including the Leadership For A Changing World Award from the Ford Foundation, and was the Grand Prize Winner of the International Reading Association Award for Technology and Reading.

In the past, he has taught courses in the teacher credential program at California State University, Sacramento and the University of California – Davis.

Larry also writes a popular education blog, a weekly teacher advice column for Education Week Teacher and semi-regular posts for The New York Times and The British Council. His articles on education policy appear in the Washington Post and in publications such as ASCD Educational Leadership, Social Policy, and Language Magazine. In addition, he hosts a weekly radio show on BAM! Education Radio.

Larry was a community organizer for nineteen years prior to becoming a public school teacher - which is where we begin our conversation in this episode.