Written by an award-winning author with extensive experience in research, writing, and teaching, this text presents a wealth of clearly developed methodologies and lessons for teaching the four primary language arts skills —reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Research on learning environments, motivation, instructional procedures, and teacher effectiveness is tied to examples of lesson plans, thematic units, and learning centers that demonstrate how theory can inform classroom practice. Formal and informal assessment strategies are coupled with authentic examples of children's oral and written responses to literature and literacy instruction. Because of the Author's extensive knowledge of children's literature the text is threaded with teaching ideas and reference lists for incorporating the use of children's literature in classrooms.