2nd Edition Book Study
Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education, 2nd Edition, By Carol Salva and Anna Matis.
The following are resources for you to launch your own study. Or reach out to have one of our newcomer specialists run the study for you. (Carol@SeidlitzEducation.com)
A few things to note:
- These resources are for the NEW 2nd Edition of Boosting Achievement, released in 2025. You can still access the resources for the 1st edition questions here.
- There are many questions each week. We suggest you allow participants to pick the questions that resonate with them.
- I have also published a post for each meeting that can serve as alternative reading if you don’t have the book. Scroll down for those. They include questions that go with each post.
Want to Personalize it? Copy this GOOGLE DOC 📃 to Make it Your Own
Don’t have the book? Here is a blog post with alternative reading and questions aligned to each section:
Meeting #1 BLOG POST with Questions & MORE MEETING ONE RESOURCES
Meeting #2 BLOG POST with Questions & MORE MEETING TWO RESOURCES
Meeting #3 BLOG POST with Questions & MORE MEETING THREE RESOURCES
Meeting #4 BLOG POST with Questions & MORE MEETING FOUR RESOURCES
Meeting #5 BLOG POST with Questions & MORE MEETING FIVE RESOURCES.
Using Social Media for your Book Study:
- You can do your study online and I’m happy to contribute/interact. Just tag me on Twitter @DrCarolSalva and use the #BoostingAchievement hashtag so others can see your responses. You may want to post the questions with the hashtag so that they are seen by more folks who can add to the learning of your group.
- I suggest the Social Media Chat format to the questions (1Q3 indicates Week 1, Question 3) and the format that works well when answering (1A3 indicates Week 1, Answer 3). However, you may want to encourage participants to respond to the text with any reflections, insight, #Booksnaps or any other synthesis of the text they would like to share. That is really all there is to this self-directed PD opportunity.
- You may also want to listen to podcasts and watch videos that are linked in the book and linked below.
This book was originally featured as the 6.o version of the #ELLChat_BkClub. The virtual book club was founded by Tan Huynh and Katie Toppel Ed.D .
We have other opportunities to interact with one another as outlined below in Padlet, Videos and Podcasts. Perhaps seeing some of those connections will inspire you to try some of these as well. 
ORDERING BOOSTING ACHIEVEMENT
You can order this resource straight from the Seidlitz Education Website.
Amazon also carries the book! Amazon Canada has it as well.
Emily Francis invites you to add to this: BOOSTING ACHIEVEMENT PADLET
VIDEOS & PODCASTS
Check out the many Videos of Carol’s SLIFE & Newcomer students here
PODCASTS: Tan Huynh wrote the amazing forward. Tan is a leader in the MLL PD online community and many of us were astounded to learn that he and his family are refugees. His older siblings began school with interrupted formal education. His story and his perspective create the perfect opening to a book which reveals what is possible for every child. I want to thank him again for his collaboration. We reflect on his forward in Week 1. You can hear him tell his story on the Rolland Chidiac Connects podcast: bit.ly/2stwg1z
And look what Larry Ferlazzo tweeted as soon as he read this book:
I’ve just finished @MsSalvac ‘s book. If you have any ELL students in your class, you’ll want to read it! https://t.co/7sfa7vVo68 Great job! pic.twitter.com/SkVrjreUCc
— Larry Ferlazzo (@Larryferlazzo) June 25, 2017
Larry is an Ed Week teacher advice columnist, he writes about ELLs for the NY Times and he is an urban high school teacher. These leaders in the ESL industry know what teachers need and so we are pleased to provide these resources. Share with your colleagues because this book is becoming popular with ANY kind of teacher. It helps us see how our SIFE students can participate and thrive in ANY kind of classroom.
So yes! Please Join us! We know that learning is powerful when we collaborate. Anna Matis and I wrote the book and WE are learning so much as we interact with people about it!
Thank you for your continued support! Support of our book and support of ELLs and SIFE students!
Best, Carol

