Literacy for the 21st Century ─ A Balanced Approach

Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach, 7/e  is a thoroughly applied text written to ensure that readers understand the current theories behind and the critical components of instruction for teaching reading and writing as complementary in the development of literacy. Readers are treated to a philosophical approach that not only balances the why, what, and how of teaching literacy but also offers practical pedagogy—teaching strategies and instructional procedures—that foster thoughtful teacher preparation and ensures alignment to the literacy goals teachers are responsible to teach. New text features model practices that support diverse populations, instruction driven by sound classroom assessment, and new literacy strategies that will help teachers transform literacy learning with digital devices. Integrating the best of what we know about teaching reading and writing, the Seventh Edition of this popular introductory text provides the balance teachers need to be successful in the classroom.

Gail E. Tompkins is Professor Emerita at California State University, Fresno. Currently, she works with teachers in their kindergarten through eighth-grade classrooms and leads staff-development programs on reading and writing. Dr. Tompkins was inducted into the California Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of reading, and she’s received the prestigious Provost’s award for Excellence in Teaching at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Tompkins is the author of six other books published by Pearson: Language Arts: Patterns of Practice, Language Arts Essentials, Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product, 50 Literacy Strategies, and two grade-specific versions of this text: Literacy in the Early Grades: A Successful Start for PreK-4 Readers and Writers and Literacy in the Middle Grades: Teaching Reading and Writing to Fourth Through Eighth Graders. During the past three decades, Dr. Tompkins has also worked with kindergarten through college-level writing teachers at National Writing Project sites in California and Oklahoma.