Table of Contents

1. Differentiation and Tiered Instruction
2. Designing an Upper Elementary Literacy Program
3. Research on Upper Elementary Readers and Writers
4. Choosing and Using Reading Assessments
5. Building Word Recognition
6. Building Fluency
7. Building Vocabulary
8. Building Comprehension
9. Building Writing Competence
10. Putting It All Together
Appendices: Reproducible Classroom Materials
Appendix A. Tier 1 Planning Templates
Appendix B. Sample Tier 1 Nonfiction Shared Reading Instruction
Appendix C. Sample Tier 1 Interactive Read-Aloud Instruction
Appendix D. Sample Tier 1 Narrative Writing Unit
Appendix E. Informal Decoding Inventory
Appendix F. Multisyllabic Decoding Lessons
Appendix G. Fluency and Comprehension Sample Plans
Appendix H. Text Structure Graphic Organizers
Appendix I. Vocabulary and Comprehension Sample Plans
References
Index

About the Author

Sharon Walpole, PhD, is Director of the Professional Development Center for Educators at the University of Delaware, where she is also Professor in the School of Education. She has extensive school-based experience designing and implementing tiered instructional programs. Dr. Walpole has also been involved in federally funded and other schoolwide reform projects. She is a recipient of the Early Career Award for Significant Contributions to Literacy Research and Education from the Literacy Research Association and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Delaware, and was named the Jerry Johns Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading by the International Literacy Association. Her current work involves the design and effects of the open educational resource Bookworms K-5 Reading and Writing. She has coauthored or coedited several books, including Differentiated Literacy Instruction in Grades 4 and 5, Second Edition: Strategies and Resources; How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction, Second Edition: Resources for Grades K-3; The Literacy Coach’s Handbook, Second Edition; and Organizing the Early Literacy Classroom.

Michael C. McKenna, PhD, was Thomas G. Jewell Professor of Reading in the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia until his death in 2016. He authored, coauthored, or edited more than 20 books and over 100 articles, chapters, and technical reports on a range of literacy topics. Dr. McKenna also served as Series Editor, with Sharon Walpole, of The Essential Library of PreK-2 Literacy. His research was sponsored by the National Reading Research Center and the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. He was a corecipient of the Edward B. Fry Book Award from the Literacy Research Association and the Award for Outstanding Academic Books from the American Library Association, and a member of the Reading Hall of Fame.

Zoi A. Philippakos, PhD, is Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests include reading and writing instruction for students in the elementary grades, strategy instruction and self-regulation, and professional development for classroom teachers. She has worked as an elementary school teacher and literacy coach, and she provides professional development to teachers on effective reading and writing strategies. Since 2010, Dr. Philippakos has codeveloped and organized the Writing Research Study Group at the Literacy Research Association, and she is Chair of the Writing Task Force at the International Literacy Association. She is coauthor of several books, including Developing Strategic Young Writers through Genre Instruction: Resources for Grades K-2, Developing Strategic Writers through Genre Instruction: Resources for Grades 3–5, and Differentiated Literacy Instruction in Grades 4 and 5, Second Edition: Strategies and Resources.

John Z. Strong, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Previously, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy education at the University of Delaware. A former high school English language arts teacher, his research interests include integrated reading and writing interventions for adolescents. His dissertation research investigated the effects of an informational text structure intervention on fourth- and fifth-grade students’ reading comprehension and informative writing. Dr. Strong is a recipient of the Steven A. Stahl Research Grant from the International Literacy Association and the Richard L. Venezky Award for Creative Research in Literacy from the University of Delaware. He has coauthored articles published in The Elementary School Journal, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, The Reading Teacher, and Reading Research Quarterly.

Reviews

"Every intermediate teacher needs a copy of this book. It is brimming with the tools and resources literacy teachers need to design instruction that will meet the needs of every child. The second edition gives increased attention to writing instruction, including advice on making the reading–writing connection explicit for students. As in the first edition, the book outlines a pragmatic approach to assessment and data-driven instructional planning that is centered on authentic children’s literature. Framed by current research, this updated second edition is perfect for professional book clubs or team-based book study."--Valerie Harlow Shinas, PhD, Graduate School of Education, Lesley University

"This book is genuinely useful for improving fourth- and fifth-grade literacy instruction. The sample daily schedules are quite helpful in organizing grade-level instruction and differentiated instruction for a variety of reading levels. I particularly appreciate the focus on vocabulary development. The authors describe strategies that would be effective not only during literacy instruction, but also during science, social studies, and math!"--Judy Mullins, MEd, EdS, fifth-grade teacher (retired), Spartanburg School District 6, South Carolina

“In this wonderful second edition, the authors provide classroom teachers, literacy coaches and specialists, and students in literacy assessment courses with practical information and resources that can be immediately implemented in classrooms. The book offers a comprehensive framework for assessing and providing tiered instruction to upper elementary students. It addresses all literacy components, including writing."--Paola Pilonieta, PhD, Department of Reading and Elementary Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte-