A comprehensive guide to help students develop basic writing cometencies and to encourage them to continue writing for their own enjoyment and satisfaction.

This volume offers a unique glimpse into the teaching approaches and thinking of a wide range of well-known literacy researchers, and the lessons they have learned from their own teaching lives. The contributors teach in a variety of universities, programs, and settings. Each shares an approach he or she has used in a course, and introduces the syllabus for this course through personal reflections that give the reader a sense of the theories, prior experiences, and influential authors that have shaped their own thoughts and approaches. In addition to describing the nature of their students and the program in which the course is taught, many authors also share key issues with which they have grappled over the years while teaching their course; others discuss considerations that were relevant during the preparation of this particular syllabus or describe how it evolved in light of student input. The book is organized by areas within literacy education: reading; English/language arts; literature; emergent literacy; content-area literacy; literacy assessment and instruction; literacy and technology; and inquiries into literacy, theory, and classroom practice. It is accompanied by an interactive Web site: http://msit.gsu.edu/handbook. This online resource provides additional information about the authors' courses including complete syllabi, recommended readings, grading rubrics, and sample assignments. Readers are invited to respond and contribute their own syllabi and teaching experiences to the discourse generated by the volume.

Specific guidelines and strategies to help special educators navigate their first year! This revised edition of a bestseller helps special educators move confidently from preplanning to post-planning for the school year. Teachers will find a step-by-step management approach complete with planning checklists and other ready-to-use forms. Featuring revisions based on IDEA 2004 and NCLB, this popular reference also provides updates on: Recognized disabilities Best instructional practices Successful parent conferences Effective plans for professional learning Alternate assessments, emergencies in the school setting, education terminology, and more