Literacy for the 21st Century: Teaching Reading and Writing in Pre-Kindergarten Through Grade 4

by Gail E. Tompkins

This book distills the information from the k-8 literacy text Literacy for the 21 st Century , focusing specifically on literacy learners from pre-kindergarten through grade 4. What are the specific needs of these students? How can you predict early literacy difficulties and how best can you scaffold your instruction to prevent reading difficulties in the future? How are the PK student’s needs different from the older, primary grades student? Chapter opening vignettes -Contextualize chapter concepts in an authentic classroom, complete with photos, dialog, and samples of student work to model excellent classroom teaching and prepare readers for the classrooms in their future.

396 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2002

About the author

Gail E. Tompkins earned her master’s degree and then her doctorate in Reading/Language Arts from Virginia Tech. She began her teaching career at Miami University in Ohio, then transferred to the University of Oklahoma and finally taught at California State University in Fresno. Because of her work with preservice and practicing teachers she received numerous awards for her teaching including the Provost’s Award of Excellence in Teaching at Cal State, Fresno and was inducted into the California Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame. She has been writing college textbooks for over 30 years—all focused on anticipating the questions teachers might ask and providing information to make her text users the most effective teachers. Other titles she has written include Language Arts: Patterns of Practice, 9e; Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach, 6e; Literacy for the Early Grades: A Successful Start for PreK-4 Readers and Writers, 3e; Literacy in the Middle Grades, 2e; and, 50 Literacy Strategies, 4e.

Reviews

[Leah Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for explaining how kids learn to read and write. Super excited to use these new tools in my future classroom.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for the classroom teacher or Literacy teacher. Great advice and practical ideas.