Literacy : Helping Students Construct Meaning

A leading resource for K-8 literacy programs, this extremely popular reading methods book has a simple goal: to provide aspiring teachers with the tools to help every student learn to read and write. LITERACY: HELPING CHILDREN CONSTRUCT MEANING, 8th Edition, continues to provide pre-service and in-service teachers with the information, techniques, and strategies they need to assist their students in becoming literate. The book is distinguished in the field by its use of practical literacy lessons and authentic examples, which clearly demonstrate how to teach reading and writing. Authentic, full-color children's stories (in excerpts or in their entirety) model extended literacy lessons throughout the text.

J. David Cooper (Ed.D., Indiana University) is a retired professor from Ball State University. Prior to teaching at the college level, he taught at elementary and secondary schools in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Cooper has served as a consultant to the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., numerous state departments of education, and school systems throughout the country. Active in the International Reading Association, he has spoken in all 50 states and eight countries. Dr. Cooper has authored or coauthored more than 20 books on the teaching of reading. He has served as an editor of the Indiana Reading Quarterly and as a reviewer for such leading journals as The Reading Teacher, Journal of Reading, and National Reading Conference Yearbook. Currently, Dr. Cooper continues to write and resides in Key West, Florida.

Nancy D. Kiger (Ed.D., Ball State University) worked for more than 40 years in education. In her last 15 years of teaching, at the University of Central Florida's College of Education, she taught courses in reading, language arts, and children's literature as well as supervised student teachers. She also taught at universities in Indiana and Missouri. She began teaching as an elementary classroom teacher and later taught reading at the elementary and middle-school levels in Indiana. She was a writer and editor of literacy materials for over 25 years. Nancy Kiger died in 2009.

Michael D. Robinson (M.S. Ball State University) retired as the curriculum support specialist and Director of Reading, English, and Language Arts K-12 as well as the coordinator of multi-tiered systems of support (MTTS) and Problem Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) for Monroe County Public Schools in Florida. Formerly, he was a Curriculum Support Specialist in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools where he developed curriculum and served as a Master Coach in reading and language arts. He taught second, third, and fourth grades and was a Title I Coordinator, Reading Specialist, and Federal Grants Coordinator in Marion, Indiana. Mr. Robinson, who supervised student teachers while studying at the University of Illinois, is coauthor of SUCCESS WITH RTI: EASY, RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING RTI, and CORE READING INSTRUCTION IN YOUR CLASSROOM.

Jill Ann Slansky (Ed.D. University of Colorado) is a retired National Reading Consultant and University professor. She has taught many courses in Reading/Language Arts, Assessment, and Curriculum Development. In addition, she has provided Professional development for teachers in 49 states and three foreign countries. Her strong knowledge of practical classroom techniques comes from her experience as an elementary teacher, a middle school remedial reading teacher, and a teacher of special education children. Currently, Ms. Slansky serves on the Board of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.