Teaching Literacy in Fifth Grade

Reviews / Votes

This book focuses on the developmental literacy needs of fifth-grade students. Clear rationales that link theory to practice, with a focus on assessment and standards, will provide guidance and confirmation for a novice teacher.--Connie Briggs, PhD, Emporia State University, Kansas

This practical book is an excellent resource for future teachers, beginning teachers, and even experienced classroom teachers who want to learn more about how to teach literacy effectively. McMahon and Wells provide a refreshing and meaningful balance between theory and practice to help teachers understand how and why to implement best practices in their literacy instruction. The book's specific focus on fifth grade allows for in-depth treatment of instructional approaches, effective teaching strategies, methods of assessment, and other nuts-and-bolts issues facing classroom teachers. I recommend this book for use in undergraduate and graduate courses on teaching literacy in the upper elementary grades.--Laurie Elish-Piper, PhD, Northern Illinois University

Research-based yet readable, this book is filled with practical ideas and strategies for teaching, from classroom layout to unit designs. I could see myself using this book in literacy methods courses for preservice teachers, in student teaching seminars, in induction programs, and for professional development. Preservice teachers often ask me, 'What does it actually look like to teach?' I can now point them to this book and say, 'Here's what it looks like to be a good fifth-grade literacy teacher.'--Susan Davis Lenski, EdD, Portland State University

This is my second year of teaching fifth grade. Previously, I taught third and fourth graders; having those experiences made me really appreciate how very different fifth graders are. This book offers an insightful look at the challenges confronting teachers who work with this unique age group. Vignettes from a practicing classroom teacher lay a foundation on which well-researched, best-practice suggestions are built. The book gives teachers an understanding of how the social-emotional changes being navigated by fifth-grade children greatly affect both their educational needs and the manner in which instruction should be delivered.--Elizabeth Griffin, PhD, fifth-grade teacher, Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School, Skokie, Illinois
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