Best Practices in Literacy Instruction

New Edition of a Best-selling Practitioner Guide and Text. More than 95,000 in print!

This authoritative text and PreK–12 teacher resource is now in a substantially revised seventh edition with 80% new material, foregrounding advances in inclusive, equitable instruction. Teachers are guided through every major component of reading, as well as assessment, motivation, teaching bilingual learners, strengthening connections with families and communities, and more. The book presents principles and strategies for teaching literature and non-fiction texts, organising and differentiating instruction, supporting struggling readers, and promoting digital literacy. Pedagogical features include chapter-opening bulleted previews of key points; reviews of the research evidence; recommendations for best practices in action, with examples from exemplary classrooms; and end-of-chapter engagement activities.

New to This Edition

• Chapter on culturally responsive teaching, plus more attention to social justice and equity throughout.
• Chapter on supporting students in the “invisible middle.”
• Important new focus on social and emotional learning (SEL).
• All chapters thoroughly revised or rewritten to reflect current research, theory, and instructional practices.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Gholnecsar (Gholdy) E. Muhammad

I. Situating Best Practices: Comprehensive and Culturally, Responsive Literacy Instruction

1. Current Issues and Best Practices in Literacy Instruction, P. David Pearson, Christina L. Madda, & Taffy E. Raphael
2. Best Practices to Promote Social Justice and Equity in the Literacy Classroom, Ernest Morrell
3. Best Practices for Motivating Students to Read, Ana Taboada Barber & John T. Guthrie

II. Best Practices throughout the Grades

4. Best Practices in Early Literacy, Lesley Mandel Morrow, Susan Dougherty, & Diane Tracey

5. Best Practices for Literacy in the Intermediate and Middle Grades, Heather Kenyon Casey

6. Best Practices for Literacy in High School, Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey

7. Best Practices for Integrating Children’s Literature into the Life of the Classroom, Kathy G. Short

8. Best Practices for Organizing and Differentiating for Equitable Literacy Instruction, D. Ray Reutzel & Parker C. Fawson

III. Evidence-Based Practices for Literacy Teaching and Learning

9. Best Practices for Developing Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Word Study to Support Fluent Reading, Donald R. Bear

10. Best Practices in Fluency Instruction, Melanie Kuhn, Timothy Rasinski, & Chase Young

11. Best Practices in Vocabulary Instruction, Kathy Ganske

12. Best Practices for Developing Comprehension across Genres, Nell K. Duke & Nicole M. Martin

13. Best Practices in Teaching Writers, Kelly Gallagher & Penny Kittle

14. Best Practices in Reading Nonfiction: Understanding the Possibilities and Problems, Robert Probst & Kylene Beers

15. Best Practices in Digital Literacy, Troy Hicks

IV. Best Practices to Meet Targeted Needs

16. Best Practices to Support the Literacy Development of Bilingual Learners, Ofelia García & Claudia Cervantes-Soon

17. Best Practices to Change the Trajectory of Students Experiencing Reading Difficulties, Victoria J. Risko & Doris Walker-Dalhouse

18. Best Practices to Support Achieving Yet “Invisible” Literacy Learners, Diane Lapp, Toni Faddis, & Alejandro Gonzalez Ojeda

19. Best Practices in Literacy Assessment, Nancy Frey, Alejandro Gonzalez Ojeda, & Douglas Fisher

V. Sustaining Best Practices: The Importance of Building Connections

20. Best Practices Linking Professional Learning, Literacy Coaching, and Equity, Sharon Walpole, Faith Muirhead, & Jaime True Daley

21. Best Practices for Home, School, and Community Partnerships: Collaborating for Social Justice and Equity, Patricia A. Edwards & Jacquelyn S. Sweeney

Epilogue. Literacy Practicing: Repositioning Teachers as Cultural Workers and Ecopedagogues toward Creating Learning Cultures, Robert J. Tierney & P. David Pearson

Afterword. Teaching Literacy in the Dystopia of Now: A Call to Action, Cornelius Minor

Index

"At a time when access to literacy should be commonplace, we continue to witness historic inequities. The seventh edition of this foundational text takes readers on a much-needed journey into the literacy lives of children from diverse backgrounds. It shares evidence-based, innovative ideas from multiple experts in the field. I often remind my students that, when it comes to children's learning, 'You must reach them to teach them!' This book provides guidance on how to reach all children—and effectively teach them."
- Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon, PhD, Professor of Literacy and Coordinator, Literacy, Culture, and Language Doctoral Program, Oakland University

"The revised seventh edition addresses the foundations of what we know about reading comprehension, vocabulary and language development, and writing, across grades and content areas. It offers dedicated attention to the complex, multidimensional demands of literacy skills, with a social justice focus on how best practices can contribute to robust learning for all students. Across the chapters, the book illustrates the centrality of the cultural repertoires that students bring to the classroom, and shows how to recruit and sustain these repertoires in instruction. This volume is both a theoretical and practical guide that can support learning in teacher preparation programs as well as professional learning communities."
- Carol D. Lee, PhD, Edwina S. Tarry Professor Emerita, School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University

"Each edition of this text brings essential knowledge to the field. The seventh edition highlights the complexity of literacy and the need to reconsider traditional views and approaches to teaching literacy at all grade levels. I recommend the text as a whole for graduate-level courses on literacy, while individual chapters can augment undergraduate courses. Chapters are written by experts in the field, and students will benefit from the comprehensive and critical approach."
- Danielle V. Dennis, PhD, Dean and Professor, College of Education and Professional Studies, University of Rhode Island