This introductory  K-3 literacy text models explicit instruction as a vehicle for developing reading and writing skills in primary classrooms.  The authors rely on both recent research and personal experience, sharing classroom-proven lesson plans, samples of student work, and examples from the classroom to ground and apply each chapter's content.  A new focus on struggling readers - in feature boxes within each chapter, as adaptation ideas within lesson plans, and in a complete chapter (Chapter 11 - Interventions for Struggling Readers) - gives you the information you need to detect, assess, and address the needs of these students.  English Language Learner notes provide guidance for meeting the needs of students whose first language is not English.