Teaching to Exceed in the English Language Arts: A Justice, Inquiry, and Action Approach for 6-12 Classrooms

Timely, thoughtful, and comprehensive, this text directly supports pre-service and in-service teachers in developing curriculum and instruction that both addresses and exceeds the requirements of English language arts standards. It demonstrates how the Common Core State Standards as well as other local and national standards’ highest and best intentions for student success can be implemented from a critical, culturally relevant perspective firmly grounded in current literacy learning theory and research.

The third edition frames ELA instruction around adopting a justice, inquiry, and action approach that supports students in their schools and community contexts. Offering new ways to respond to current issues and events, the text provides specific examples of teachers employing the justice, inquiry, and action curriculum framework to promote critical engagement and learning. Chapters cover common problems and challenges, alternative models, and theories of language arts teaching. The framework, knowledge, and guidance in this book shows how ELA standards can not only be addressed but also surpassed through engaging instruction to foster truly diverse and inclusive classrooms.

The third edition provides new material on:

• adopting a justice, inquiry, and action approach to enhance student engagement and critical thinking
• planning instruction to effectively implement standards in the classroom
• teaching literary and informational texts, with a focus on authors of color
• integrating drama activities into literature
• teaching informational, explanatory, argumentative, and narrative writing
• supporting bilingual/ELL students
• using digital tools and apps to respond to and create digital texts
• addressing how larger contextual and political factors shape instruction
• fostering preservice teacher development

Richard Beach is Professor Emeritus of English Education at the University of Minnesota, USA.

Ashley S. Boyd is Associate Professor of English at Washington State University, USA.

Allen Webb is Professor of English Education and Postcolonial Studies at Western Michigan University, USA.

Amanda Haertling Thein is Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Education, Dean of the Graduate College, and Professor of English Education at the University of Iowa, USA.