Best Practices in Literacy Instruction

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 nonfiction texts, organizing 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. 
 

Lesley Mandel Morrow, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Literacy and Director of the Center for Literacy Development at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Her research deals with early literacy development and the organization and management of language arts programs and literacy-rich environments. Dr. Morrow has published more than 300 journal articles, chapters, and books. Her work has been recognized with awards including the Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award and the William S. Gray Citation of Merit, both from the International Literacy Association (ILA), and the Oscar S. Causey Award for outstanding contributions to reading research from the Literacy Research Association. Dr. Morrow is past president of the ILA and is a member and past president of the Reading Hall of Fame.
 
Ernest Morrell, PhD, is Associate Dean of Humanities and Equity in the College of Arts and Letters, Coyle Professor of Literacy Education, Faculty in English and Africana Studies, and Director of the Center for Literacy Education at the University of Notre Dame. He is an elected Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Dr. Morrell’s scholarly interests include literacy studies, critical media pedagogy, English education, postcolonial literatures, the African Diaspora, and youth popular culture. He is the recipient of the NCTE Distinguished Service Award, the Kent Williamson Leadership Award from the Conference for English Leadership, and the Divergent Award for 21st Century Literacies. He has written more than 90 articles and book chapters and has authored or edited more than ten books.
 
Heather Kenyon Casey, PhD, is Professor of Literacy Education at Rider University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, coordinates the graduate-level literacy concentration, and is Site Director of the National Writing Project. A former middle school language arts teacher and a certified reading specialist, Dr. Casey is past co-chair of the Adolescent Literacy Task Force and the Literacy Reform Task Force of the International Literacy Association (ILA). Her research focuses on the use of collaborative learning structures and new literacies to support adolescent literacy development and engagement. She has published numerous articles and book chapters in these areas and recently edited a series for the ILA, Literacy Practices That Adolescents Deserve. She has also led several grants in partnership with the National Writing Project focusing on building teacher leadership.
 

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