Literacy Theory As Practice
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Home > Society and Social Sciences > Education Books > Teaching skills and techniques > Teaching of reading, writing and numeracy > Literacy Theory As Practice: Connecting Theory and Instruction in K–12 Classrooms(Language and Literacy Series)
Literacy Theory As Practice: Connecting Theory and Instruction in K–12 Classrooms(Language and Literacy Series)

Literacy Theory As Practice: Connecting Theory and Instruction in K–12 Classrooms(Language and Literacy Series)


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About the Book

This is both a comprehensive overview of major theoretical developments in literacy AND a teaching guide with in-depth classroom examples of how literacy can be used in daily classroom practice.

In this expanded and completely updated second edition, Handsfield introduces the most influential theories and models of reading and literacy—from cognitive and information-processing theories that underpin foundational skills to social constructionist and critical theories that support socially just instructional practices in today’s post-digital landscape. Focusing on how these theories connect with different curricular approaches (K–12), the book shows how they both shape and are shaped by everyday literacy practices in classrooms.

Readers will find detailed vignettes of classroom practice explored from various theoretical standpoints, illuminating how theory is brought to life in the classroom. Substantial attention is devoted to multilingual classrooms and communities, engaging with current sociopolitical issues in literacy curricula, and literacy teaching in the post-digital age. Chapters contain key questions for further exploration and user-friendly inset discussions that explore complex terminology and connect literacy theory to current debates and world events.

New for the Second Edition!

  • Examination of theories and practices related to the Science of Reading movement.
  • Addition of the Active View of Reading and Positioning Theory.
  • New and revised vignettes focused on translanguaging practices and student and teacher uses of generative AI in literacy teaching and learning across the disciplines.
  • New and revised inset discussions highlighting recent insights from neuroscience, knowledge-building, and intersections between literacy instruction and social–emotional learning.


Table of Contents:
Contents

Foreword James V. Hoffman  ix

Acknowledgments  xiii

1.  Introduction  1


Conceptualizing Theory  1

Situating Praxis Within a Conceptual Continuum  5

What’s New in the Second Edition?  7

Content and Organization of This Book  10

PART I: INTRODUCTION TO THEORETICAL FRAMES OF READING AND LITERACY

2.  Correspondence Theories  17

Grounding Curricular Model: UFLI Foundations  18

Behaviorism  19

Cognitive/Information-Processing Theories  23

Stage Theories of Word Recognition and Spelling Development  37

Concluding Thoughts  39

3.  Coherence Theories, Take 1: Cognitive Constructivism  41

Foundations of Cognitive Constructivist Theories  42

Grounding Curricular Model: Transactional Strategies Instruction  43

Schema Theory  45

Psycholinguistic Theory  47

Construction–Integration Model  52

Transactional/Reader Response Theory  54

Concluding Thoughts  59

4.  Coherence Theories, Take 2: Social Constructivism  61

Vygotsky’s Impact on Teaching and Learning  61

Grounding Curricular Model: Lucy Calkins’s Units of Study for Teaching Writing  64

Sociocultural-Historical Theory  66

Sociolinguistic Theory  70

Emergent Literacy Theory  74

Concluding Thoughts  78

5.  Coherence to Incoherence: Social Constructionist Theories  80

Social Constructionism  81

Grounding Curricular Model: Youth Participatory Action Research  84

Critical Literacy Theory  86

Digital and Postdigital Literacy Theories  89

Positioning Theory  96

Critical Race Theory  99

Concluding Thoughts  106

PART II: EXPLORING PRAXIS AND BRINGING THEORIES TO LIFE

6.  Cracking the Code: Skills Instruction and Developing Concepts of Literacy  111

Skills Instruction Across the K–12 Grade Span  111

Word Sorting in a 3rd-Grade Multilingual Classroom  113

Making Valentines at Home From Pre-K to 1st Grade  120

Manipulating Sentences in a 9th-Grade English Class  124

7.  Constructing Meaning With Texts  131

Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension Instruction  131

Fluency Instruction With a 3rd-Grade Reader in a One-on-One Tutoring Context  135

Strategic Reading and Word Identification in a Literature Discussion Group  139

8.  Literature Discussion, Response, and Critique  149

Literature Discussion, Response, and Critique in K–12 Classrooms  149

Responding to Literature About Civil Rights in a 1st-Grade Classroom  151

Literature Discussion in an 11th-/12th-Grade Modern World Literature Class  155

Stepping Into Another’s Shoes in a 6th-Grade Language Arts Classroom  160

9.  Writing and Writing Development: Authoring Texts, Authoring Lives  168

Writing Instruction in K–12 Classrooms  168

Small Moments Writing in a 1st-Grade Monolingual Classroom  170

Autobiographical Writing in a 4th-Grade Bilingual Classroom  176

Critical Race Theory  187

Digital and Postdigital Theories of Literacy  187

10.  Disciplinary Literacies in the Content Areas  190

Teaching Disciplinary Literacies  191

Charting Plant Growth in a 4th-Grade Bilingual Classroom  192

Researching Japanese American Internment in a Culturally Diverse 10th-Grade History Class  197

Koaligators and Squirriélagos: Literature-Based STEM Inquiry in a 5th-Grade Classroom  204

The Active View of Reading  208

Sociolinguistic Theory  209

Postdigital Theory  210

11.  Teacher Inquiry and Praxis  212

One Teacher’s Pedagogical and Theoretical Shifts Over Time  212

Teacher Inquiry  216

Concluding Thoughts: Praxis and Useful Inquiry  220

References  223

Index  247



About the Author :
Lara J. Handsfield is professor emerita of elementary literacy and bilingual education in the School of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University.


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780807783740
  • Publisher: Teachers' College Press
  • Publisher Imprint: Teachers' College Press
  • Edition: New edition
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Sub Title: Connecting Theory and Instruction in K–12 Classrooms
  • ISBN-10: 0807783749
  • Publisher Date: 26 Jun 2026
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Height: 229 mm
  • No of Pages: 272
  • Series Title: Language and Literacy Series
  • Width: 156 mm


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