With continuing attention to constructivist theory and reflective practice, this text offers a comprehensive, realistic, integrated approach to teaching English language arts to middle and secondary school learners. In the fourth edition, content has undergone major reorganization and chapters have been significantly rearranged. The text now begins by asking prospective teachers why they want to teach language arts, and finishes by taking them into their first classrooms. Individual chapters on specific language arts are linked through a common focus on the reality of the language arts classroom, the responsibilities of the language arts teacher, and the means to meet these responsibilities through thoughtful, reflective, holistic teaching.