Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach

As a graduate student, I appreciate this book as it is so practical. I wish all my textbooks were as insightful and readable as this book.

I needed to order this book for a class. It is well written and easy to read. As a reading teacher I can say that I will keep this book as a reference long after the class has ended. This edition comes with a CD (or DVD) which I have not previewed yet, but the instructor of my class raves about it.

I was first introduced to this book in one of my graduate literacy courses and I have been hooked every since. The teachers at my school pass it around constantly looking for ideas. My favorite aspect of this book is the fact that there are real teachers giving real examples of what works in their classrooms. There are no strategies that seem too hard implement in your classroom, because the layout is right there!! You know it can be done and it words because the examples in the book are proof! You don't feel like you are reading about some ideal or Utopia of a classroom. You are reading about REAL classrooms. I absolutely love it!

This is an excellent resource. It is concise and contains a wealth of information. I teach second grade and am working on a Master's degree in literacy. I am finding this book to be invaluable. Much of the information is sorted into charts for easy referencing. So many of the books I have read lately seem to ramble on and on. This book makes it's point and moves on to other salient information. I get rid of so many of the professional books I purchase after I read them. This one is a keeper. It is very pertinent to the current trend in improving the literacy of our children.

We dived right into this book in our Teaching Reading credential course. This book is worth the price just for the internet resources (web sites, discussion boards, etc.) alone! Includes a great appendix which defines key terms, such as book talks, word webs, readers' theatre, etc. These are the "buzzwords" that are important for the RICA examination. A wonderful resource!

Gail Tompkins has authored a wonderful book for teachers of literacy. The book is comprehensive, covering everything from emergent reading to teaching in the content areas. Tompkins has done a thorough job of research, and she presents her material in a readable and useable format.