Literacy for the 21st Century : Teaching Reading and Writing in Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 4

For Literacy in the Elementary School and Elementary Reading Methods and Strategies courses. Based on the same principles and guidelines of Tompkins' best-selling literacy text, this new volume addresses specific strategies for teaching reading and writing to children from Preschool to Grade 4. The author provides a solid foundation in the content of literacy instructionphonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehensionliberally spiced with her trademark minilessons and replete with children's writing samples and authentic classroom vignettes. Included are a wealth of age-appropriate assessment tools, authentic classroom activities, and illustrative examples of how effective teachers engage children in preschool through primary grades in the captivating act of reading and writing.

Helping children become literate is one of the greatest challenges facing teachers today. As some teachers and researchers tout and defend one approach after another, parents are frightened that the new instructional methods aren't getting the job done. The media fuels the controversy with reports lamenting low test scores and criticism that many schools are failing to produce literate citizens who can function competently. I have written this textbook to blaze a pathway toward implementing a thoughtful, balanced approach to teaching reading and writing in the early grades, a pathway that incorporates the most effective teaching approaches and strategies. Literacy for the 21st Century: Teaching Reading and Writing in Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 4builds on the research-based approaches to literacy instruction outlined inLiteracy for the 21st Century,the most popular reading methods text in the market, but focuses squarely on the issues, concerns, and opportunities involved in teaching children in pre-kindergarten through grade 4. I created this text for core literacy courses that have been split to meet a growing demand for credentialing teachers with more in-depth knowledge of early literacy strategies, aiming to provide a solid foundation for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This comprehensive text presents sound approaches to literacy instruction and guides teachers toward best practice in teaching skills as well as strategies. The principles of effective reading instruction outlined in Chapter 1 provide a strong, easily understood foundation for the entire book. I have culled and created minilessons and assessment tools geared specifically toward assessing and teaching PreK-4 skills; the authentic classroom activities and student artifacts include spotlights on primary teachers who illustrate how they plan for and engage their students in literacy activities; and PreK margin notes address the specific concerns of this audience of learners. DRIVING PRINCIPLES My goal in this text is to show beginning teachers how to teach reading and writing effectively in the early grades, how to create a classroom climate where literacy flourishes, and how to empower the diverse array of young children in today's classrooms to function competently as literate adults in the twenty-first century. To that end, I have based the text on four contemporary theories of literary learning: constructivist, interactive, socio-linguistic, and reader response theories. Readers will learn how to implement a reading program with skills and strategies taught in context using a whole-part-whole organizational approach. The approach I take can, I believe, best be described as balanced and comprehensive. You will learn how to teach vital skills and strategies within the context of authentic reading and writing experiences. I have carefully selected the principles, skills, strategies, and examples of literature that will empower the beginning teachers to get up to speed quickly with their young readers. In creating this textbook, I used knowledge I gleaned from a host of teachers who have been students in my beginning reading course over the years, and I also sifted through the array of practices and procedures proven effective in today's classrooms and with today's diverse student populations. Although there are many other useful ideas and strategies that can accomplish the goal of producing literate students, I have deliberately and painstakingly chosen research-based, classroom-tested ideas-the best of the best-as the focus of this textbook. SPECIAL FEATURES These special features increase the effectiveness of the text and address the most current resources in the field of literacy. Instructional Procedures The easily accessible Compendium of Instructional Procedures following Chapter 12 offers clearly articulated instructio