This revised and updated second edition incorporates findings from rep orts by the National Reading Panel and the National Research Council, as well as ongoing research by the author and others. Interjecting a v oice of reason into ongoing debates on the "one best way" to teach rea ding, Michael Pressley demonstrates how effective reading instruction combines aspects of both skills-emphasis and whole-language approaches . Topics covered include the various components of both whole language and skills instruction; how the balanced approach is applied in real classrooms; and motivational issues. The second edition has been augme nted with new material on phonemic awareness; comprehension problems; decoding and comprehension; vocabulary instruction; development of wor d knowledge; and "flooding" the classroom with motivation. It also fea tures a new discussion of the place of Reading Recovery within balance d instruction, including an in-depth case study.