This user-friendly text offers a sensitive approach to helping children become more strategic in their building of literacy skills and concepts. Underscored by rich child development theory, developmentally appropriate practices, and sound research, the text offers a comprehensive array of literacy activities to support children's emergent to fluent literacy from the preprimary years through the fifth grade. Each strategy is paired with a classroom demonstration, and samples of children's work are included. Unlike many literacy texts that treat assessment as an afterthought, Creating Literacy Connections provides in-depth coverage of highly effective assessment and evaluation strategies. This book offers numerous classroom-based, child-centered measurement tools as well as a useful description of the most common standardized tests being used for diagnostic purposes. Portfolio implementation and student-led celebrations are also highlighted.