About the Book
Upper-elementary students encounter a sometimes dizzying array of traditional and nontraditional texts both in and outside of the classroom. This practical handbook helps teachers in grades 4–6 harness the instructional potential of fiction, poetry, and plays; informational texts; graphic novels; digital storytelling; Web-based and multimodal texts; hip-hop; advertisements; math problems; and many other types of texts. Twenty-four complete lessons promote critical literacy skills such as comprehending, analyzing, and synthesizing information and using writing to communicate new ideas and pose questions. Snapshots of diverse classrooms are accompanied by clear explanations of the research base for instruction in each genre. Ready-to-use reproducibles are included.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction, Barbara Moss and Diane Lapp
I. Teaching the Genres: What Students Often Encounter
2. Transforming Traditional Tales to Improve Comprehension and Composition, Terrell A. Young, Laura Tuiaea, and Barbara A. Ward
3. Every Story Has a Problem: How to Improve Student Narrative Writing in Grades 4–6, Sue Dymock and Tom Nicholson
4. Teaching Poetry, Claudia Dybdahl
5. Using Readers’ Theater to Engage Students with Drama, Regina M. Rees
6. Teaching Journalistic Style: A Newspaper Genre Study, Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher
7. Using Procedural Texts and Documents to Develop Functional Literacy with Students: The Key to Their Future in a World of Words, Martha D. Collins and Amy B. Horton
8. Going Beyond Opinion: Teaching Children to Write Persuasively, Dana L. Grisham, Cheryl Wozniak, and Thomas DeVere Wolsey
9. Reading Biography: Evaluating Information across Texts, Barbara Moss and Diane Lapp
II. Teaching Other Genres: What Students Could Also Encounter
10. Using Comic Literature with Older Students, Chris Wilson
11. Using Primary-Source Documents and Digital Storytelling as a Catalyst for Writing Historical Fiction in the Fourth Grade, Carol J. Fuhler
12. No Stripping Allowed: Reading and Writing Political Cartoons, James Bucky Carter with Kelly Lynn Carter
13. Self-Expressing through Hip-Hop as Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Nadjwa E. L. Norton
14. Exploring High-Stakes Tests as a Genre, Charles Fuhrken and Nancy Roser
15. Reading a Science Experiment: Deciphering the Language of Scientists, Maria Grant
16. Reading + Mathematics = SUCCESS: Using Literacy Strategies to Enhance Problem-Solving Skills, Mary Lou DiPillo
17. Promoting Literacy through Visual Aids: Teaching Students to Read Graphs, Maps, Charts, and Tables, Paola Pilonieta, Karen Wood, and D. Bruce Taylor
18. Critically Reading Advertisements: Examining Visual Images and Persuasive Language, Lori Czop Assaf and Alina Adonyi
19. Reading Web-Based Electronic Texts: Using Think-Alouds to Help Students Begin to Understand the Process, Christine A. McKeon
20. Developing Critical Literacy: Comparatively Reading Multiple Text Sources in a Sixth-Grade Classroom, Jesse Gainer
III. Crafting the Genre: Sharing One’s Voice through Writing
21. Using Written Response for Reading Comprehension of Literary Text, Evangeline Newton, Ruth Oswald, and Todd Oswald
22. Reading Persuasive Texts, Thomas DeVere Wolsey, Cheryl Pham, and Dana L. Grisham
23. Writing a Biography: Creating Powerful Insights into History and Personal Lives, Dorothy Leal
24. Monumental Ideas for Teaching Report Writing through a Visit to Washington, DC, Susan K. Leone
25. Writing Summaries of Expository Text Using the Magnet Summary Strategy, Laurie Elish-Piper and Susan R. Hinrichs
26. Conclusion: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Diane Lapp and Barbara Moss
About the Author :
Edited by Barbara Moss, PhD, and Diane Lapp, EdD, both at the School of Teacher Education, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
Review :
"This book is jam-packed with lessons to incorporate new literacies, especially critical literacies, into any primary-grade classroom! These lessons provide readers with an understanding of the research as well as examples from real classrooms across the country. From hip hop to folk literature, from digital storytelling to high-stakes testing as a genre, this user-friendly book has it all. Current classroom teachers will come away with new ideas for their classrooms and preservice teachers will learn how to incorporate new literacies into their instruction. This book would be a great addition to advanced literacy methods courses at the undergraduate and graduate level." - Jennifer Garrette Lisy, former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, Chicago, Illinois, USA "This book will help primary-grade teachers use a wide range of text types to provide students with engaging choices and critical learning opportunities. The chapters provide concrete, standards-based lesson plans. I was struck by the many genres that often go untaught in K-3, including most of the informational texts. It is absolutely wonderful to get lesson ideas for teaching such a wide variety of text types." - Dawnene D. Hassett, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA "I am eager to introduce this book to the teachers I work with. The consistent format makes it easy to read and access the lessons in each chapter. I also appreciate the inclusion of the research base for using the different text types. The book's ideas for differentiated instruction offer crucial assistance for teachers striving to meet the needs of all their K-3 learners. The cutting-edge resources in these pages are exciting and engaging." - Michelle Lewis, Literacy Leader, Reading First, North Parkway Elementary Magnet School, Jackson, Tennessee, USA "The book moves beyond the basic curricular model of language arts, embracing authentic, purposeful, relevant areas of literacy that are typically overlooked. Classroom teachers, literacy coaches, and university professors alike will be able to find a place for this well laid-out text and the resources and expertise it provides. Examples of innovative and dynamic lessons will make it easy for classroom teachers to apply their new learning with ease. I was so energized that I immediately began sharing information from the book with my intermediate teachers." - Cate Stallmeyer-Gerard, Literacy Coach, Barkstall Elementary School, Champaign, Illinois, USA "A valuable resource for upper-elementary and intermediate teachers. The book provides a wealth of useful, research-based information and lessons that will assist educators in their quest of improving student comprehension and learning in the ever-changing world of literacy. This is a resource teachers can pick up, trust, and utilize immediately." - Carrie Wessman, fourth-grade teacher, Bruce, Wisconsin, USA "Very timely. Inservice and preservice teachers need to know how to help students engage meaningfully and critically with multiple forms of text. Moss and Lapp offer a rich and accessible blend of instructional practices and curriculum integration that will enable teachers and students to expand their understanding of new literacies and connect with current technologies. This book is a comprehensive companion to turn to time and again." - Gustave Weltsek, Department of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, Indiana University, USA "A fabulous book! So many upper-elementary teachers have a difficult time engaging students in literacy because they only use trade books and textbooks for instruction. But this book shows that a variety of texts, from comics to hip-hop lyrics to advertisements, can be used effectively for literacy instruction. Teachers will find the lessons in this book easy to use and supported by a strong research base. What is very exciting about the book is its emphasis on content literacy. Any teacher who has wondered how to thoughtfully integrate literacy into math, science, and social studies lessons, and make connections with students' interests and lives, should buy this book! As a teacher educator, I see this volume as a wonderful resource for the new and experienced teachers in my courses, as well as for professional development workshops in schools. The lessons are very solid and would be useful both for students who need to 'see' the inner workings of good literacy instruction and for veteran teachers looking for fresh ideas and texts." - Jennifer D. Turner, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Maryland, USA
