Literacy for the 21st Century : A Balanced Approach

by Tompkins, Gail E.

• ISBN13: 9780135028926
• ISBN10: 0135028922
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-28
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

The market leader in literacy education, Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach continues to evolve to meet the needs of a changing world. Crafted for the undergraduate K-8 literacy course, this comprehensive and thoroughly applied text continues to cover the information new and experienced teachers need to know to teach literacy effectively, and follows this information with the specific strategies to use in the classroom to develop successful readers and writers.

Integrating the best of what we know about teaching reading and writing, and implementing the ideas that will lead us into the future of education, the fifth edition provides the balance new and experienced teachers need to be successful in the classroom.

‘’The book is very readable and the tables/charts are really helpful. It’s very engaging for students. I love the English Learner and Struggling Reader features, and the compendium is awesome!’’-Laura S. Pardo, HopeCollege

‘’This text is one of the finest literacy texts available to inspire and educate pre-service teachers in the ways to create a successful literacy classroom. The strength of this book is the engaging, easy-to-read style, and the Compendium of Instructional Procedures and video support provided.’’- Jean M. Casey, California State University, Long Beach

Author Biography

Gail Tompkins   I’m a teacher, first and foremost.  I began my career as a first-grade teacher in Virginia in the 1970s.  I remember one first grader who cried as the first day of school was ending.  When I tried to comfort him, he sobbed accusingly, “I came to first grade to learn to read and write and you forgot to teach me.”  The next day, I taught that child and his classmates to read and write! We made a small patterned book about one of the stuffed animals in the classroom.  I wrote some of the words and the students supplied the others, and I duplicated copies of the book for each child.  We practiced reading it until everyone memorized our little book.  The children proudly took their books home to read to their parents. I’ve never forgotten that child’s comment and what it taught me:  Teachers must understand their students and meet their expectations.

            My first few years of teaching left me with more questions than answers, and I wanted to become a more effective teacher so I started taking graduate courses.  In time I earned a master’s degree and then a doctorate in Reading/Language Arts, both from Virginia Tech.  Through my graduate studies, I learned a lot of answers, but more importantly, I learned to keep on asking questions.

            Then I began teaching at the university level.  First I taught at Miami University in Ohio, then at the University of Oklahoma, and finally at California State University, Fresno. I’ve taught preservice teachers and practicing teachers working on master’s degrees, and I’ve directed doctoral dissertations. I’ve received awards for my teaching, including the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at California State University, Fresno, and I was inducted into the California Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame. Throughout the years, my students have taught me as much as I taught them.  I’m grateful to all of them for what I’ve learned.

            I’ve been writing college textbooks for more than 20 years, and I think of the books I write as teaching, too.  I’ll be teaching you as you read this text.  As I write a book, I try to anticipate the questions you might ask and provide that information.

Table of Contents

Literacy for the 21 st Century: A Balanced Approach Fifth edition

Becoming an Effective Teacher of Reading Introduction

Effective Teachers Understand How Students Learn

Behaviorism Constructivism Sociolinguistics Information Processing Theory

Effective Teachers Support Studentsrsquo; use of the Cueing Systems

The Phonological System The Syntactic System The Semantic System The Pragmatic System

Effective Teachers Create a Community of Learners

Characteristics of a Classroom Community How to Create a Classroom Community

Effective Teachers Adopt a Balanced Approach to Instruction

Effective Teachers Scaffold Studentsrsquo; Reading and Writing

Modeled Reading and Writing

Shared Reading and Writing

Interactive Reading and Writing

Guided Reading and Writing

Independent Reading and Writing

Effective Teachers Organize for Literacy Instruction

Basal Reading Programs Literature Focus Units Literature

Circles Reading and Writing Workshop

Effective Teachers Link Instruction and Assessment

Purposes of Classroom Assessment Classroom Assessment Tools

Effective Teachers Become Partners with Parents

Review: How Effective Teachers

Teach Reading and Writing Professional References

Childrenrsquo;s Book Reference

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.