Teaching Literacy in Second Grade (Tools for Teaching Literacy)

Second-grade classrooms are exciting places to visit. Children are consolidating their growing reading and writing expertise, exploring new genres, and becoming more effective communicators. This book takes the reader into several exemplary second-grade classrooms to demonstrate what teachers can do to optimize literacy learning for their students. Highlights include how to set appropriate short- and long-term goals for individual students, ways to plan instruction to meet those goals, and innovative ideas for partnering with parents.

Jeanne R. Paratore, EdD, is Associate Professor of Education at Boston University, where she teaches courses in literacy, language, and cultural studies. From 1989 to 1997 she was an integral member of the Boston University/Chelsea, Massachusetts, Public School Partnership, a comprehensive urban school reform effort, in which she focused her efforts on improving classroom literacy instruction and building strong home-school partnerships. She was a core advisor to Teaching Reading, K-2, A Video Library of Effective Classroom Practices, a project funded by the Annenberg Foundation and produced by WGBH television. At present, Dr. Paratore works with school-based literacy leaders in Lowell, Massachusetts, to support effective instruction in classrooms throughout the city. She has written articles and book chapters about family literacy, classroom grouping practices, and classroom assessment.

Rachel L. McCormack, EdD, is Assistant Professor of Education at Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island, where she teaches courses in literacy education and children's literature. As a classroom teacher, she taught first, second, and fifth grades, and she served as a school-based reading specialist. Her research interests include classroom discourse and the effects of peer-led discussion on children's comprehension and learning, and the effects of professional development on school-wide change in literacy instruction.