First grade is a year of important new experiences for students and teachers alike. Some students will arrive knowing how to read, others will know a few letters of the alphabet, and most will be somewhere in between. Including dozens of reproducibles, this book guides first-grade teachers in the many decisions they face about how to orchestrate effective, appropriate, and engaging instruction. A special strength of the book is the authors deep understanding of the oral language base of literacy learning--both reading and writing--and their expertise in differentiating instruction for English language learners. This book is part of the "Tools for Teaching Literacy Series" (Donna Ogle and Camille Blachowicz, eds.), and contains the following chapters: (1) Where Do I Begin?: Getting to Know Your Students, Your Classroom, and the Curriculum; (2) Understanding How Children Learn to Read Written Language; (3) Supporting First-Grade Writing; (4) Exciting Day 1: Instruction Begins; (5) Differentiating Instruction: Using Assessment Information Wisely; (6) Grouping for Differentiated Instruction and Classroom Management; (7) Supporting Oral Language Development; (8) Teaching English Language Learners; (9) How Does the Year Continue?; and (10) You Can't Do This Alone: The Home-School Connection.