Students Speak and Listen

Performance builds lifelong communication skills as students practice speaking with confidence and conviction. Strategies to scaffold into conquering that number one fear.

School Visits, Workshops and Professional Development

We team with teachers and administrators to adapt and implement effective and creative approaches to comprehensive literacy. Reading, writing and speaking in every subject and every lesson.

kids collaborating on a project - slideshow pic

Students Collaborate

Students revisit text, gather facts and prioritize information as they synthesize, summarize and prioritize ideas providing over the shoulder formative assessment opportunities while developing a culture of civil conversation.

students developing creative writing - slideshow pics

Writing is Thinking

Writing frameworks teach essential writing elements while also addressing content area subject matter. You don't have to skip science or art to teach reading, writing and speaking. These frameworks support all genre composition.

students performing their written work - slideshow pic

Engage all Students!

Effective strategies to model the writing process for students of all abilities with guided choice and co-created mentor texts. Beginning with Version 1, revision is an anticipated part of composition instead of a chore. We believe draft is a verb.

New! Announcing . . .
Read Write Speak It!

Proven steps to reading, writing and oral proficiency for English learners. This curriculum supplement helps teachers teach EL and striving students in grades 1-8.

From Striving to Thriving Writers

Strategies That Jump-Start Writing. Renowned writing strategy duo Michael Salinger and Sara Holbrook team with comprehension guru Stephanie Harvey with this innovative tool that targets reading, writing and speaking standards.

Dreaming Big and Small

This offbeat poetry book for middle grades and up grooves along with the funky artwork of Cleveland underground artist Scott Pickering. Buy your copies now and support literacy, art and fun!

Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger

Outspoken Literacy Consultants

Author/Educators Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger visit schools worldwide providing author visits, professional development and classroom workshops in writing, comprehension strategies, and public speaking for students K-12.

High-energy performance poets, Sara and Michael are frequent presenters at schools and conferences in the United States and over 50 countries. They provide lively, interactive assemblies, spirited classroom experiences, and engaging PD.

“We can show you writing framework strategies that will help make your students’ learning more visible.” – Michael Salinger

“Our collaborative snapshot writing lessons help kids question, synthesize, summarize and evidence learning. Strivers become thrivers.” – Sara Holbrook

All kids, all subject areas.

creativity . collaboration . engagement .

Our Writing Strategies

foster engagement • build literacy skills • expand vocabulary • deepen understanding • encourage close reading • make learning visible

Our Public Speaking Strategies

scaffold public speaking • build confidence • create community • combat stage fright • encourage collaboration • support risk taking • make learning visible

Our Team

We are sought-out award-winning performers and authors of many books for children – both story and textbooks. We captivate students – and educators!

From the Blog...

Read, Write, Speak it – an introduction

May 9, 2020

So, Sara and I have been working on an iteration of this project for almost a decade. We are going to be rolling out this resource this Fall. Nearly 200...

What we’re doing while we stay at home…

April 30, 2020

Well – our spring was cancelled. We will sorely miss all the places and faces we were looking forward to seeing. But, as we stay home as we try to...

OCTELA 2020

February 24, 2020

OH – IO! Sara and I try to make the Ohio Council of Teachers of English language Arts (OCTELA) whenever we can. We’ve probably attended a just under a dozen...