Tools for Teaching Literacy Series / Teaching Literacy in Second Grade

1. What Is the Second-Grade Child Like?.
2. Knowing What to Teach in Second Grade.
3. Setting Up the Classroom Environment for Literacy
4. Getting to Know Your Students
5. Differentiating Instruction for Diverse Learners
6. A Week in a Second-Grade Classroom
7. Developing Home-School Partnerships That Help Children Learn
8. Resources and More
Appendices: A. Primary Literacy Standards for Second Grade. B. List of Common Phonograms.
C. Vickie's Learning Center Direction Cards.

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.

Paratore and McCormack describe numerous instructional practices known to help children excel as readers and writers, often bulleting the key steps of a practice to make it easier for teachers to implement in their classrooms. They share the evidence base that underlies each recommended practice, a critically important feature in the current political climate. They take readers on classroom visits, showing how the practices come to life through the thoughtful decision making of highly effective second-grade teachers. Readers will find themselves flagging key pages to remind them of the steps in an instructional practice, or rereading different sections as they make thoughtful decisions about their teaching of reading and writing.--Carol Vukelich, PhD, Director, Delaware Center for Teacher Education, University of Delaware

In their comprehensive treatment of second-grade reading and writing instruction, Paratore and McCormack offer teachers a wealth of information. They ground instruction in standards and appropriate expectations for second-graders and describe an array of research-based instructional sequences and strategies that support high student achievement. Clear explanations of teaching techniques combined with visits inside real classrooms equip teachers with the concepts and tools they need for effective literacy teaching at this important midpoint in children s learn-to-read-and-write process.--Kathleen Roskos, PhD, Department of Education and Allied Studies, John Carroll University

This is an engaging, fast-paced resource for second-grade teachers. The book is theoretically grounded, research based, comprehensive, and uniquely practical. The authors are to be commended for its inclusiveness. Coverage encompasses developmental traits of second-graders, literacy goals, informal assessments, differentiating instruction, home-school partnerships, visits to classrooms with exceptional teachers, and extensive resources. This is a great addition to the