New reading methods texts pop up every year {id: Tompkins preface}
What makes Literacy for the 21st Century the most valuable and relevant literacy text on the market?"
As I revise each edition, working with teachers in the field and with pre-service teachers at the university level, I realize more and more that both new and experienced teachers need the best information about how students learn, ideas to create an environment that engages and addresses the needs of all students, and a deep understanding of the literacy methods that best address those needs." I also recognize that teachers need the specific tools to take into the classroom." My goal is to provide all this in a text that speaks directly to new and experienced teachers, modeling effective teaching, and helping you envision yourself using these methods in your classroom."
I have found that the best approach to sharing this information with you is through an authentic vision of today's classroom, a balanced approach to literacy, and the best research-based and classroom-tested practice I can provide.
Authenticity
I regularly visit and work in the classrooms of some very talented teachers, many of whom have been my students, and I am very pleased to profile them in this text." These teachers face the same opportunities and challenges that you will." They, too, have to find ways to be creative and motivating while being accountable to state and federal requirements."
The classrooms I visit reflect the diversity you'll find anywhere in America." Most of these students are English learners, and they bring background knowledge and cultural understandings that challenge teachers to ensure they prepare learning experiences that meet the literacy needs of all students."
Good teachers, like those who generously share their experiences with me for this text, strive to help struggling readers develop solid literacy strategies and skills." They work with students who are eagerly learning to read and write and others who are unmotivated and resistant." They work to make sure all their students have the foundational literacy knowledge they need to succeed in life, and help them develop a love of reading as well."
- Chapter opening vignettes and minilessons throughout chapters help you envision today's classrooms as these teachers share stories of successful literacy teaching with all their students, including English learners.
- Student work samples that appear throughout chapters model assessment and evaluation, helping you recognize the ways students develop as readers and writers."
Instructional Procedures: Scenes from the Compendium is a new DVD, free with each text, that shares video footage of talented teachers and their compelling classroom scenes." These clips take you right into their classrooms to watch them use grand conversations, guided reading, interactive writing, and other procedures discussed in the text.
Classroom footage showcases masterful teachers using instructional procedures from the compendium.
Notes throughout chapters connect DVD clips with chapter content and Compendium procedures.
Activities on the Companion Website help new teachers deepen and apply their understanding of the DVD's instructional procedures.
Balance
This new edition strengthens and clarifies the importance of balancing literacy instruction, integrating essential skill development, strategy instruction, literature study, and authentic reading and writing experiences."
You will understand literacy instruction in terms of four foundational instructional approaches: basal reading programs, literature focus units, literature circles, and reading and writing workshop." Through these approaches, I provide you with strategies and skills within the context of authentic reading and writing experiences." You will find in these pages the principles, skills, strategies, and examples of literature that will empower you to get up to speed quickly.
- Components of a Balanced Literacy Program features in every chapter show how the chapter's topic relates to the 10 components of a balanced literacy program." For example, how does teaching comprehension relate to strategy instruction, fluency, content-area reading, and writing?" It's important that you understand how each chapter's topic impacts and supports the entire literacy program, and this feature gives you that information.
Organization
The four parts of the text are organized to build your background knowledge piece by piece, always integrating what you've just learned with new information being covered." I want you to see how a solid literacy program incorporates theory and research into teaching and assessment methods, and how they drive your instructional decisions.
- Part 1: What Is a Balanced and Comprehensive Approach to Literacy Instruction? sets the stage for the methods and application to follow." The 8 principles of effective reading instruction outlined in Chapter 1 provide a strong, easily understood foundation for the entire book." You'll learn about how children learn, how to create a community of learners, how to organize instruction, implement assessment, and how to balance literacy instruction." You will also learn four theories supporting a balanced literacy approach." Chapter 2 builds on this foundation, focusing on the reading and writing processes, and readying you to learn how to work with your students.
- Part 2:" How Do Children Learn to Read and Write? consists of seven chapters that will help you implement a truly balanced approach to working with young readers and writers, covering phonics instruction, developing fluency and comprehension, and addressing assessment in a developmentally appropriate way.
- Part 3:" How Do Teachers Organize Literacy Instruction? applies the foundational concepts you learned in Parts 1 and 2, focusing on day to day classroom instruction." What does balanced literacy instruction look like in terms of basals, literature focus units, literature circles, reading and writing workshop, and content area literacy?
Part 4:" Compendium of Instructional Procedures completes the text with a bank of classroom proven instructional procedures that will engage and motivate your students in reading and writing." The DVD that accompanies this text illustrates several of these procedures.
Classroom Practice
My primary goal in this text is to show you how to teach reading and writing effectively, how to create a classroom climate where literacy flourishes, and how to empower the diverse array of students that will populate your classrooms and help them function competently as literate adults in the twenty-first century."
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. With these in hand, you will be prepared to hit the ground running as you confidently implement effective methods." If you know how to be effective from the first day, you will have the confidence necessary to add to your bag of tricks as your experience guides your practice.
- Nurturing English Learners features demonstrate how literacy elements, including cueing systems, basals, background knowledge, assessment, and phonemic awareness, must be redirected and aligned to meet the needs of English learners."
- Scaffolding Struggling Readers features provide pivotal information on topics such as fluency, revising, the difficulty of vowels, vocabulary in content area texts, and comprehension to help students who struggle make real progress in developing literacy competency.
- Minilessons offer clear, concise skill and strategy instruction, ready for you to take right into your classrooms!
- Assessment Resources model classroom assessment to help you integrate assessment before, during, and after literacy instruction.
Part 4's Compendium of Instructional Procedures is composed of dozens of clearly articulated instructional methods will become an invaluable professional resource and ready classroom reference.
Integrating Media and the Standards
Today's school environment is one driven by state and federal mandates, and by standards." You will need a handy reference to the national IRA/NCTE Standards for Reading Professionals, as well as access to your own state's standards." You will also need to find ways to integrate these standards into your own teaching." On my Companion Website you will find the quick reference and teaching tools you need.
- An NCTE/IRA Standards matrix will pinpoint chapter by chapter standards coverage.
- A complete correlation of NCTE/IRA Standards and chapter content will help you conceptualize a standards-driven literacy classroom.
- Online lessons keyed to the NCTE/IRA Standards will give you classroom tools." Link from these lessons to your own state's standards to adapt the lessons to meet both the national standards and the standards designed for your own state, and save your new lessons to your hard drive or on disk through the Online Portfolio." By the end of the class you will have compiled a wonderful bank of standards specific lessons to use with your own students."
Supplements
Companion Website:" This robust online support system offers many rich and meaningful ways to deepen and expand the information presented to you in the text."
- IRA/NCTE Standards Integration, delivered through chapter correlations as well as adaptable lessons that can be saved to your hard drive or disk through the online portfolio, providing students with lessons to take right into their own classroom that align with both national and state standards.
- Praxis practice questions help prepare pre-service teachers for the Praxis 2 exam." Link to Literacy for the 21st Century's "Ready for Rica website to cater your practice specifically to California's teacher examination and California's standards.
- Self-Assessments help users gauge their understanding of text concepts.
- Field Activities help contextualize chapter content in a classroom setting.
- Web Links provide useful connections to all standards and many other invaluable online literacy sources.
- Chapter Objectives provide a useful advanced organizer for each chapter's online companion.
Electronic Instructor's Manual: This useful tool for instructors, available online at www.prenhall.com" with an instructor's access code, provides rich instructional support, including:
- A test bank including multiple choice and essay tests." Also available as a TestGen.
- Power points specifically designed for each chapter
- A Media Guide with suggestions for making the most of the text's accompanying DVD Instructional Procedures: Scenes from the Compendium"" "
- Chapter by chapter materials, including Chapter objectives, suggested readings, discussion questions, and in class activities.
Videos:" Free to adopters, these videos can add depth to classroom concept coverage and promote discussion and analysis in class.
- A VHS version of Instructional Procedures: Scenes from the Compendium is available upon request to professors whose classroom environment makes viewing footage from a VHS more convenient than watching as a class from the DVD.
- Guidelines for Reading Comprehension Instruction (ISBN 0-13-031405-6) contains footage of Gail Tompkins providing guidance for pre-service and in-service literacy teachers.
- Literacy Library: Video A (ISBN 0-13-042087-5) provides a collection of classroom segments where teachers and students are engaged in developing literacy lessons. Individual lessons include: reciprocal circles, inquiry methods for language and literacy, retelling, higher order thinking skills, letters and sound relationships, and reading for word problems.
- Literacy Library: Video B (ISBN 0-13-112395-5) provides clear guidance for practicing guided reading with students.
CD ROM's: Several CD's are available to package with this new edition of Literacy for the 21st Century." Users can examine, re-examine, and manipulate genuine classroom footage to develop a deep and lasting understanding of highlighted instructional approaches and the ways they are effectively carried out in classrooms.
Writing Workshop (ISBN 0-13-117590-4). Experience the effective instruction that takes place in classroom communities by analyzing video footage of master teachers who integrate minilessons and strategy and skill development in the use of writing workshops.
Literature Circles (ISBN 0-13-061167-0). Examine footage of a master teacher in an 8th grade literacy classroom." You will have the opportunity to observe the classroom footage, hear from the teachers and students involved, and consider the research behind the teachers' decisions."
Primary Grades Literacy Study a master teacher's approach to a K-3 integrated unit on insects.