Effective Literacy Instruction, K-8: Implementing Best Practice

This popular text shows readers how to implement research-based principles of best practice instruction, related to state standards, into the reading classroom. It describes how to develop a solid literacy framework for instruction, identifying the central principles of best practice, derived from research and tied to state reading standards. Each chapter begins with a central principle of literacy instruction, then explores a wide variety of teaching strategies that support this principle. Written by two of the most recognized experts in the field, this is the first textbook to show how to systematically integrate new technologies into literacy instruction. A series of instructional models prepares readers for the thoughtful and meaningful integration of the Internet and other technologies into the classroom.

Donald J. Leu, Jr. is the John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. He served in the Peace Corps, teaching English in the Marshall Islands of Micronesia. He also was an elementary classroom teacher and a reading specialist in California. He received an Ed.M. degree in reading and human development at Harvard and a Ph.D. in language and literacy at the University of California, Berkeley. He edits a column on literacy on the Internet for The Reading Teacher, teaches graduate courses in literacy education, and is currently studying the integration of Internet technologies within school classrooms. Professor Leu has published articles on literacy in a variety of journals, including Reading Research Quarterly, The Reading Teacher, The Journal of Reading Behavior, and The Journal of Educational Psychology. He co-edited The National Reading Conference Yearbook for six years and co-authored the recent book, Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the Classroom. He currently serves on the editorial review boards for Reading Research Quarterly, The Reading Teacher, and Reading Online. He enjoys dressage, fly fishing, and spending time with his family.

Charles K. Kinzer is associate professor in the department of teaching and learning and a research scientist at the learning and technology center at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in literacy education and works extensively with technology as it relates to literacy instruction. He has taught reading and remedial reading in middle and junior high schools. He received his M.A. in education from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and his Ph.D. in language and literacy at the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Kinzer's research includes reading comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, teacher cognition, and the application of technology in education. He has published articles about reading education, technology, and expert systems development in journals such as The Journal of Reading Behavior, The Journal of Reading, Reading Research and Instruction, and Applied Cognitive Psychology. He co-edited The National Reading Conference Yearbook for six years and the Electronic Classroom (for Reading Online) for three years. He serves on numerous editorial boards, including The Reading Teacher, The Journal of Literacy Research, The Journal of Special Education Technology, the NRC Yearbook and Reading Online, and he has directed several nationally funded projects. He enjoys photography, traveling, and spending time at the beach with his wife and daughter.