Bookmarks: Fluency through Novels is a series of companion textbooks to novels that provide teachers with creative exercises and activities to supplement the teaching of a novel. Bookmarks: A Companion Text forKindred is an integrated reading-writing skills text that addresses each of the seven intelligences identified by Howard Gardner: there are tasks and activities for the linguistically, logically/mathematically, kinesthetically, spatially, musically, interpersonally, and intrapersonally intelligent students.
The textbook is designed to be used along with Kindred, a novel by Octavia Butler (published by Beacon Press), which tells the story of a young black woman who disappears from her home in 1970s California to save the life of her white slave-owner ancestor in the early nineteenth century. Through the novel and textbook, students learn about nineteenth-century American life, the origins of slavery in America, the conditions under which slaves lived, the Underground Railroad, important historical figures (like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass), and the civil rights movement of the twentieth century.
Each of the six units begins with a preview of the reading and free writing topics, followed by exercises that improve comprehension and vocabulary building. Students use response journals to think about their personal connection with the novel. They are encouraged to discuss different topics and then write about what they've discussed. The Beyond the Novel section in each unit introduces factual background information in which students learn about slavery and other material mentioned in the novel. Puzzles and out-of-class activities are also included at the end of each unit.

A Companion Text forLike Water for Chocolate provides exercises and activities for ESL students who are reading the English translation of the novel by Laura Esquivel (published by Doubleday). Set during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Like Water for Chocolate is a story about an extended Mexican family and what happens when one daughter is not permitted to marry the man she loves. Cooking and food are central to the story line and help thread the story together.
A Companion TextforLike Water for Chocolate is made up of six units, each covering two chapters in the novel. Every unit contains a preview section, free writing exercises, a short glossary (to help with Spanish words), comprehension quizzes, vocabulary exercises and summarizing exercises, a section devoted to response journals, and topics for discussion. The "Beyond the Novel" section includes facts about U.S. and Mexican history and folk tales. Illustrations throughout the book help to engage students and offer visual support for reading comprehension.

Crafting Compositions guides students through the entire writing process, with exercises in planning, drafting, responding and revising, and polishing. In addition to completing free writing exercises, keeping a journal of informal responses, and revising sample compositions, students will draft, revise, and edit one composition per chapter.

The textbook features:
"Authentic readings to foster vocabulary development, show successful techniques, and serve as a jumping-off point for free writing.
"A "learning log" in which students write to practice the writing lessons and tips presented.
"A two-track system in which students simultaneously work with the writing of other students as they work on their own compositions.
"Toolbox mini-lessons to review common grammar trouble spots.

This mid-level writing text is appropriate for high school, community college, or university course

This book is a collection of strategies and tips collected through a survey of 80 practicing ESL professionals, as well as a series of conversations with the author’s colleagues. The book reveals teachers’ motivations for choosing certain techniques. A unique feature of the book is the thinking that underlies teachers’ choices in terms of how they manage their classroom.
 
Voices of Experience was designed and written with teachers-in-training and seasoned professionals in mind; the book would be used differently by each.
 
The book has five units: The Classroom Environment, Lesson Planning, Pair and Group Work, Classroom Interactions, and Classroom Trouble Spots. Each unit has two or three chapters that discuss the survey responses and relevant quotes from participants. Each unit concludes with a Connections section that features:
·         *Challenging Beliefs: What Teachers Think, which presents a statement for readers to respond to and compare their responses to others who completed the survey.
·        * Classroom Connections: What Teachers Do, which lists reflection or discussion questions
·        * Strategies and Motivations: What Teachers Say, which presents more quotes from respondents, particularly those that look at what’s behind teachers’ choices. These too could be used for reflection or discussion.