This popular text, now in its third edition, "unpackages" the various dimensions of literacy linguistic (the nature of language, oral-written language relationships, language variation); cognitive (constructive nature of perception, the reading process, understanding written discourse, the writing process); sociocultural (literacy as social practices, authority of written discourse); and developmental (constructing the written language system) and at the same time accounts for the interrelationships among them. Distinguished by its examination of literacy from a multidimensional and interdisciplinary perspective, it provides a strong conceptual foundation upon which literacy curriculum and instruction in school settings can be grounded. Dimensions of Literacy links theory and research to practice in an understandable, user-friendly manner; provides in-depth coverage of the various dimensions of literacy; and includes demonstrations, hands-on activities, authentic reading and writing events that reflect key concepts, and tables and figures that summarize the concepts. Changes in the third edition: provide more clearly focused discussion on the nature of language and addresses the role of various other sign systems in reading and writing cover new research on eye movements and miscue analysis (EMMA) and reading fluidity (i.e., flow) expand the discussion of bilingualism and biliteracy through the book extend the discussion of new literacies/multiliteracies/multimodal literacies include updated references throughout the entire book.