"Awesome collection of teaching strategies for all elementary teachers of literacy." Karen Jamison, Florida College

The many activities included here for teaching the language arts in grades K–6 were designed to meet the instructional needs of in-service and future teachers. All activities identify the NCTE/IRA standards with which they are aligned and feature an easy-to-follow organization that includes clear procedures for implementation, authentic assessments of teaching objectives, and suggestions for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners and English learners.

"In Comprehension First, Claudia Cornett has synthesized research and professional wisdom to explain why children should be respected as meaning generators. Her definition of literacy challenges educators to focus on the big picture, the human need to create meaning from and in diverse communication forms. . . . I am overjoyed that there's now a book dedicated to treating the concept of 'comprehension' in depth, at length, and in a scholarly fashion." Brian Cambourne, from the Foreword

"This volume briefly introduces and defines a comprehensive selection of word recognition skills and provides a host of strategies for reinforcing and assessing those skills. Teacher-oriented, the book is extremely well organized and allows easy access to specific materials. It also contains appendixes that should prove helpful to the practitioner, including lists of phonics generalizations, root words, prefixes, and suffixes. . . . It would serve as an excellent companion for those in need of breadth, quickness, and clarity." Choice

Teachers and future teachers searching for best practices with which to promote fluency in reading and writing will find this book invaluable. It includes step-by-step instructions to help incorporate activities such as sing-alongs, poetry reconstruction, and readers theatre into classrooms. Its readability and clear, complete coverage of topics, trends, and issues will help readers promote fluent reading and writing in their classrooms as they motivate children to want to read and write more.

"Sharon Kane's marvelous Integrating Literature in the Content Areas [is] a cornucopia of lessons, ideas and book recommendations to support content area teachers, librarians and anyone interested in enriching the minds of middle and high school readers. . . . Kane aims her book at a wide audience, and she delivers with an engagingly written, information packed handbook for crafting innovative, literature-rich instruction." Sean Kottke, The Robert B. Miller College, in Education Book Reviews

This book presents a comprehensive view of teaching the language arts in grades K–8. It offers a balanced approach between direct instruction and integrating the language arts with other content areas. It explores the important topics of community and caregiver involvement in education and offers thoughtful coverage of diversity in the schools. Readers will find practical teaching ideas in every chapter.

This book offers the words and experiences of real teachers. From these inspirational stories emerges a vision of the joys and rewards of working with children in the classroom and a portrait of teachers who have made a difference in the lives of their students. Teachers' stories are interwoven with practical suggestions for putting new ideas into practice. Chapters include a treasury of ideas to rekindle a teacher's inner resources and help them nurture in others a love of learning.

"I love this book . . . I will absolutely use it for years to come . . . So tell Sherrie to keep writing. She makes the ideas exciting to read and inspires young people to become teachers." Kerry Bostwick, Cornell College

"I really do love the book! I think it is well-written, reader-friendly, and VERY interesting. It motivates teachers and future teachers to be excited about literacy in their secondary level classrooms." Carolyn Allemand, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor