This Stanford Teacher Education Program syllabus (Education 262D) uses a cognitive apprenticeship approach to the teaching of English. This approach involves making thinking visible for students as they learn to read and critically interpret both fiction and nonfiction texts and communicate their ideas in discussion, writing, and other media. The ultimate goal is to help teacher candidates learn to leverage the resources students bring to the classroom and design lessons to help students become independent readers and writers who can fully participate in and enjoy the world of texts that surround them. The course explores these questions: (1) What should we teach in English?; (2) How do we, as English language arts teachers, design instruction to help students become engaged and effective producers and consumers of language?; and (3) How do we design instruction to meet the needs of diverse students and the demands of different contexts?