From two prominent scholars in the field of literacy comes a middle school teacher preparation text that offers important innovations not usually found in traditional secondary methods texts. The book is rife with concrete examples of teaching literacy and language arts in middle school contexts, but is relevant to preservice and practicing teachers at middle and high school levels. This edition includes a stronger focus on culturally relevant pedagogy and the needs of English Language Learners as well as a Standards in Practice feature, which helps teachers incorporate state and national standards in teaching and planning.  The book is based on a teacher-as-inquirer model. A fieldwork component provides tools for classroom inquiry and reflection in each chapter. The book is timely and relevant, with classroom cases written by experienced and new middle school language arts teachers.