"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is dedicated to connecting research with practice, to connecting teachers with research and researchers with the reality of the classroom, and by doing so, making adult basic education research more relevant to the field. This issue of "Focus on Basics" contains the following articles: (1) The "Lab School" (Steve Reder); (2) Same Activity, Different Focus (Kathryn Harris); (3) Interactive Classroom Activities (Donna Moss); (4) A Conversation with FOB: Modified Sustained Silent Reading (Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet); (5) Rewarding Conversations (Betsy Kraft); (6) Spontaneous Conversations (Dominique Brillanceau); (7) Turn-Taking and Opening Interactions (John Hellermann); (8) Taking a Closer Look at Struggling ESOL Learners (Robin L. Schwarz); (9) A Conversation with FOB: Learning How to Teach Health Literacy (Winston Lawrence and Lisa Soricone); and (10) Blackboard. (Individual articles contain references.)