Literacy for the 21st Century Teaching Reading and Writing in Pre-Kindergaten through Grade 4

Tompkins' text reflects a solid approach to the intricacies of early reading instruction. She covers all aspects that I would find essential, critical, and relevant. The various spotlights, vignettes, figures and summaries support the text and help amplify it. The Compendium is an invaluable resource and a constant reference point!Armin R. Schulz, California State University, StanislausThis unique text prepares you to teach young readers and writers by taking you into successful classrooms, helping you prepare for your own classroom, and giving you the practical tools to take with you. Paying particular attention to the needs of these early learners, the text provides recommendations for preventing early learning difficulties and suggestions for helping pre-kindergarteners develop literacy abilities. You'll also find tools to help you adjust lessons for English learners, as well as minilessons and step-by-step guidance for strategy and skill instruction. The second edition of Literacy for the 21st Century: Teaching Readingand Writing in Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 4 presents a thoughtful, balanced approach to teaching literacy specifically in the early grades.Takes you into the classroom Authentic classroom vignettes opening each chapter help you see how chapter concepts play out successfully with early learners. Spotlights throughout the text give you in-depth information on literacy development, one remarkable student at a time. New! Observe real classroom footage on the accompanying DVD Instructional Procedures: Scenes from the Compendium includes footage of classrooms implementing the text's strategies. Look for margin notes in the text to point to strategies you'll find on the DVD.Helps you prepare your own classroom New! Balanced Literacy Program features in each chapter clearly outline the elements of a balanced literacy program and identify how chapter concepts can be used to create a balanced literacy approach. New! Developmental Continuum features help you understand how to implement chapter concepts appropriately according to student development. Guideline features give you the important, point by point implementation guidance you'll need to put chapter concepts into action in your classroom.Gives you the tools to take into your classroom Minilessons offer ready to use skill and strategy instruction. Find how the minilessons correlate to state and national standards on the text's Companion Website. The Compendium of Instructional Procedures is a robust resource of instructional methods designed to get you up and running quickly in your own literacy classroom. Expanded! Nurturing English Learners features provide thoughtful considerations for adapting lessons for this audience of learners. New! Preventing Reading and Writing Difficulties features help you quickly address and correct potential problems that could inhibit young learners' literacy development. A complete chapter on assessment lays a solid foundation and provides Assessment Tools to evaluate your students' progress in early literacy.The author does a great job of building background knowledge especially for pre-service and beginning teachers. The Compendium of Instructional Procedures is wonderful for quick stop-n-shop for each strategy. It helps to simplify each strategy and newly learned concept so that pre-service teachers can easily implement them in their clinical/field experiences. Good job, too, of integrating information about addressing the needs of English language learners throughout the text. Kantaylieniere Hill-Clark, University of MemphisTompkins, Gail E. is the author of 'Literacy for the 21st Century Teaching Reading and Writing in Pre-Kindergaten through Grade 4', published 2006 under ISBN 9780131999749 and ISBN 0131999745.