Teens and Literacy
Voices from the Field
-- School Library Journal, 1/10/2008
Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice (Heinemann, 2007).
If you’re staggering under the weight of all that unread professional literature accumulating in your book bag, consider replacing some of those volumes with this title. Prominent educators Kylene Beers, Robert E. Probst, and Linda Rief invited leaders in the field of adolescent literary instruction to contribute to an anthology exploring contemporary issues.
The editors, along with Janet Allen, Richard Allington, Randy Bomer, Harvey Daniels, Kathryn Egawa, Teri Lesesne, and 21 others present informative and thought-provoking essays on writing, comprehension, vocabulary instruction, coaching, effective teaching, English language learners, young adult literature, democratic participation, and emerging technologies. In particular, the contributors consider the demands our changing world will make on students as they enter the job market. Interspersed throughout the volume are “Interludes,” shorter essays from “master teachers” on topics ranging from “The Need to Write, The Need To Listen” to “Who Is The Good Teacher?”
While everyone will find something here to inspire their work, what distinguishes this title from other collections are the editorial notes found in the margins of the articles. These conversational tidbits offer background information, and point readers to related essays in the book and other texts. Appendices provide templates, sample surveys, and more. This engaging book will be of particular interest to pre-service teachers, educators new to the field, and anyone behind in their professional reading. An online list of questions will guide those who want to use it as a study-group text.
