Literacy in the Middle Grades

Written with classroom teachers in mind, Literacy in the Middle Grades, 2e has been crafted to answer the questions of teachers working with young adolescents. By addressing the realities of teaching in grades four through eight— the changing needs of young adolescents; the increasing diversity in the classroom; the constantly changing technology available to teachers; the newest federal, state, and curricular demands — this thoroughly applied new edition situates literacy instruction in the contemporary classroom to guide you in helping middle graders develop strong reading and writing strategies and skills, whether you are a new or experienced teacher.

How do you meet the diverse needs of fourth through eight graders?

· New! Chapter 4, Differentiating Instruction, provides the information you need to work with struggling readers and writers.

· New! Spotlight features highlight below grade level, on grade level, and above grade level students to model effectively differentiated instruction.

· New! Scaffolding English Learners sections help you focus instruction to better meet adolescent English learner needs.

· Expanded! Struggling Readers and Writers features focus attention on specific strategies to assist young adolescents who struggle with reading and writing.

How do you address curricular demands?

· New! Chapter 11, Teaching with Textbooks, gives you the tools to organize your class periods to help students get the most out of their reading.

· Integrated assessment treatment builds on the concepts covered in Chapter 3, Assessing Literacy Learning, with chapter by chapter Assessment Tool features that focus on everything from rubrics to high stakes testing.

· New! Be Strategic! features provide guidance for you to help your students develop the literacy strategies they need to be successful.

How can you equip yourself for the contemporary middle grades literacy classroom?

· The Compendium of Instructional Procedures provides you with a bank of step-by-step, evidence-based teaching strategies.

· New! New Literacies features address 21st Century technology demands facing middle grades students.

· Minilessons present clear, concise strategy and skill instruction, ready for you to take right into your classroom.

Written with teachers in grades 4 through 8 in mind, Literacy in the Middle Grades has been crafted to answer the questions of teachers working with young adolescents. By addressing the realities of teaching in the middle grades — the changing needs of adolescents; the increasing diversity in the classroom; the constantly changing technology available to teachers; the newest federal, state, and curricular demands — this thoroughly applied new edition situates literacy instruction in the contemporary classroom to help new and experienced teachers help young adolescents develop strong literacy skills.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Gail E. Tompkins is Professor Emerita at California State University, Fresno. She regularly works with teachers in their fourth through eighth-grade classrooms and leads staff-development programs on reading and writing. Dr. Tompkins was inducted into the California Reading Association's Reading Hall of Fame in recognition of her publications and other accomplishments in the field of reading, and she has received the prestigious Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching at California State University, Fresno. Previously, Dr. Tompkins taught at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where she received the Regents' Award for Superior Teaching, and at Miami University in Ohio, where she taught at the McGuffey Laboratory School and worked with preservice teachers. She was also a school teacher in Virginia for eight years.

Dr. Tompkins is the author of six other books published by Pearson: Literacy for the 21^st Century: A Balanced Approach, 5^th ed. (2010), Language Arts: Patterns of Practice, 7th ed. (2009), Language Arts Essentials, (2006), Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product, 5th ed. (2008), 50 Literacy Strategies, 3rd ed. (2009), and two grade-level specific versions of this text: Literacy for the 21st Century: Teaching Reading and Writing in Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 4, 2^nd ed. (2007).

Dr. Tompkins has also worked with grade school through college-level writing teachers at two National Writing Project sites during the last three decades. She directed the Oklahoma Writing Project when she taught at the University of Oklahoma, and more recently she was the director of the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project in California, where she initiated a program to encourage teachers to write for publication. Pearson has published three collections of classroom-tested teaching strategies and lessons written by teachers in the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project: Teaching Vocabulary: 50 Creative Strategies, Grades 6-12, 2^nd ed. (2008), edited by Gail E. Tompkins and Cathy L. Blanchfield; 50 Ways to Develop Strategic Writers (2005), also edited by Gail E. Tompkins and Cathy L. Blanchfield; and Sharing the Pen: Interactive Writing With Young Children (2004), edited by Gail E. Tompkins and Stephanie Collom.

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