Pathways to Independence: Reading, Writing, and Learning in Grades 3-8 [Paperback]

Karen Broaddus (Editor), Gay Ivey (Editor), Jo Worthy (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1572306475 | ISBN-13: 978-1572306479 | Publication Date: April 19, 2001 | Edition: 1

This comprehensive text presents a core of research-based approaches to effective literacy instruction in the middle grades. Methods and materials are described to foster reading skills, content mastery, and writing in different formats and for different purposes. The authors emphasize the need to tailor instruction to the needs, strengths, skill levels, and interests of diverse students. They offer recommendations for reading lists that incorporate critically acclaimed fiction and nonfiction, popular series books, and other student-friendly materials. Special features include case studies, examples of teaching and assessment activities, and commentary from middle-school teachers and students. The appendices also contain reproducible forms and lists of recommended reading materials and resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The shelves of university libraries and college bookstores are filled with books on beginning reading instruction, but there are few, if any, quality works that address how to teach reading and promote the literacy of middle-grade students. This void has now been filled. Building upon their collective experience and scholarship, Worthy, Broaddus, and Ivey take us on a theoretically based yet pragmatic journey through the intricacies of teaching students who may have acquired fundamental skills in decoding and comprehension but have yet to develop into skillful, willful, mature readers. For college instructors who teach reading methods courses focused on the upper elementary or middle-school levels--or for those simply interested in the unique dynamics of teaching literacy to preadolescents--this is an essential resource. The authors provide the substantive detail needed to teach reading to this oft-neglected group of learners. Preservice students, practicing teachers, and college instructors will find this to be an engaging, informative work." --James F. Baumann, PhD, Department of Reading Education, University of Georgia

"This book provides preservice and classroom teachers with a much-needed perspective. Challenging many current instructional practices, the authors clearly demonstrate that middle-level literacy instruction transcends content areas and is the responsibility of all teachers. Central to the text is the deep, essential need for educators to value and honor student voice in reading and writing if literacy growth is to flourish. Teachers will find the book to be a valuable study group tool. Together, they can explore the text, reflect on their own teaching, and discover numerous methods to enhance student engagement and literacy development." --Deborah E. Grove, PhD, Supervisor, Williamsport Area School District, Williamsport, PA

"Teachers are going to love this book! It offers rich portraits of real kids doing real reading, and it contains all the information teachers need to develop a successful middle-grade reading program. Including specific strategies, guidelines for implementing them, and needed resources, the book is comprehensive and engaging. The knowledge presented will help both teachers and students develop their skills." --Cathy M. Roller, PhD, Director of Research and Policy, International Reading Association

About the Author

Jo Worthy, PhD, is Associate Professor of Reading Education and Teacher Education at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate practicum courses in reading methods and reading difficulties in addition to courses on reading and language arts research. After receiving her bachelor's degree and teaching certificate in early childhood education, Dr. Worthy taught for many years in Virginia public elementary and middle schools. She continues to spend most of her time in public schools, collaborating closely with teachers, teaching her classes on an elementary school campus, and directing a literacy tutoring program. Dr. Worthy earned her doctorate in 1989 from the University of Virginia in reading education, focusing on educational research, clinical assessment, and children's literature. From 1991 to 1994, as a postdoctoral fellow at the Learning Research and Development Center with Isabel Beck and Margaret McKeown, she researched text comprehension and engagement. Her current research and teaching interests include teacher education, students' reading preferences, and reading difficulties, with a focus on grades 1-6.

Karen Broaddus, PhD, is Associate Professor of Reading Education at James Madison University. Her background experiences include teaching middle and secondary English and working as a children's librarian in school and public library settings. Dr. Broaddus received her doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1995, focusing her studies on reading, English education, and assessment. She began her college career at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, teaching children's literature, multicultural studies in adolescent literature, language arts, and literacy assessment and intervention. In Tulsa city schools, Dr. Broaddus collaborated with preservice teachers in group research projects on children's responses to multiethnic literature and in individual case study projects on struggling readers. Since her appointment to the faculty at James Madison University in 1998, she has focused her teaching and research on reading, writing, and content area learning in the middle grades.

Gay Ivey, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Reading Education at the University of Maryland at College Park. She began her teaching career in Albemarle County, Virginia, where she was a middle school Title I reading/language arts teacher. Dr. Ivey received her master's degree from the University of Virginia in 1990 and her doctorate from the University of Georgia in 1997. Her first university position was at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University before moving to the University of Maryland in 1999. She teaches courses in reading instruction and assessment. Her research interests include examining ways to make regular classroom instruction more responsive to individual development and motivation in the upper elementary and middle grades, especially for students who find reading and writing difficult.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 345 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (April 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572306475
• ISBN-13: 978-1572306479
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #638,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good text for middle grade student literacy instruction, October 22, 2007

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Richard Graf "Rijonraf" (Austin, Tx) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pathways to Independence: Reading, Writing, and Learning in Grades 3-8 (Paperback)

This text is full of practical suggestions and relevant information for teachers and preservice teachers.