"Teachers and students studying to be teachers want strategies that they can use in the classroom and this book definitely delivered...The reader is hooked from the first page."---Amy MacKenzie, Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY --

The thought-provoking papers in this volume address some of the key aspects of the controversial debate about literacy in our society from the perspective of a language-based theory of learning.

This book examines the linkage between literacy and linguistic diversity, embedding them in their social and cultural contexts. It illustrates that a more complete understanding of literacy among diverse populations and in multicultural societies requires attention to issues of literacy per se as well as to improving an educational process that has relevance beyond members of majority cultures and linguistic groups. The focus of the book is on the social and cultural contexts in which literacy develops and is enacted, with an emphasis on the North American situation. Educators and researchers are discovering that cognitive approaches, while very valuable, are insufficient by themselves to answer important questions about literacy in heterogeneous societies. By considering the implications of family, school, culture, society, and nation for literary processes, the book answers the following questions. In a multi-ethnic context, what does it mean to be literate? What are the processes involved in becoming and being literate in a second language? In what ways is literacy in a second language similar and in what ways is it different from mother-tongue literacy? What factors must be understood to better describe and facilitate literacy acquisition among members of ethnic and linguistic minorities? What are some current approaches that are being used to accomplish this? These are vital questions for researchers and educators in a world that has a large number of immigrants, a variety of multi-ethnic and multi-lingual societies, and an increasing degree of multinational activity. Beyond addressing applied concerns, attending to these questions can provide new insights into basic aspects of literacy.

Templeton' s authentic reading/integrated literacy approach is based on five premises: 1) the construction of meaning underlies all reading activity, 2) all literacy instruction takes place in context, 3) literacy instruction occurs with diverse students in a diverse society, 4) a child' s natural development provides teachers with essential background for instructional decisions, and 5) literacy instruction should be based on authentic reading.

There is not one right way to teach a child to read. Recent media stories about education have featured the “Science of Reading,” whose proponents typically present the systematic teaching of phonics as a one-size-fits-all method that guarantees reading success for all students. But as literacy scholars Patricia Paugh and Deborah MacPhee demonstrate, the decoding of words is only one of many skills that are central to an effective early literacy education. In Learning to Be Literate, they present a four-part framework for active literacy learning that eschews oppositional arguments about different approaches, and instead situates children as meaning makers: the whole point of being literate. There is no single or simple solution that will fit every child. But by using the ALL framework to inform instruction, educators can help young learners think deeply about ideas and language at the same time as they learn to work out the sounds and symbol systems of language.

Now appearing in its fifth edition, this reading methods text focuses on a contemporary, active learning approach for teaching literacy. Its 11 chapters and teacher resource handbook help teachers develop balanced literacy programmes using both direct and indirect instruction. One of the text's hallmark features is its complete presentation of authentic children's stories, accompanied by sample lesson plans that guide teachers in developing their own lessons. Highlights of this fifth edition include: - New! A new full-colour design and re-designed literacy lessons - New! Chapter 1, Focus on Literacy Learning, emphasises the stages of literacy development, the role of standards, how diversity impacts literacy learning, and the place of technology in literacy development. - New! Chapter 10, Developing a Management System for the Balanced Literacy Classroom, presents procedures for developing student routines. - New! The text now explores how instructors can meet the needs of English language learners in diverse classrooms. - New!To The Student: Reading This Text is an introduction that explains what students should do before reading, while reading, and after reading each chapter so they get the most out of the text material. - New! The Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning web site provides additional resources for extended instructor and student support.

The author of Classroom Instruction That Works discusses teaching methods that can help overcome the deficiencies in background knowledge that hamper many students' progress in school.