Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K-8 Classrooms

To be truly effective, teachers need to move beyond stock assignments for teaching genre to students and on to activities that invite students to become passionately involved. The authors, all professors of teacher education, present activities to get students learning about the construction of narrative, procedural, informational, persuasive, and dramatic texts. Although ultimately intended for practical assistance for pre- and in-service teachers, along with literacy coaches, this volume relies on extensive academic research which is regularly footnoted. Six project planning sheets and a bibliography are appended. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., is a professor of language, literacy, and culture and faculty associate in the combined program in education and psychology at the University of Michigan. Duke received her Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Harvard University. Duke's work focuses on early literacy development, particularly among children living in poverty. Her specific areas of expertise include development of informational reading and writing in young children, comprehension development and instruction in early schooling, and issues of equity in literacy education. She currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator on projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Duke is the recipient of the American Educational Research Association Early Career Award, the Literacy Research Association Early Career Achievement Award, the International Reading Association Dina Feitelson Research Award, the National Council of Teachers of English Promising Researcher Award, and the International Reading Association Outstanding Dissertation Award. Nell is author and co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters as well as the books Reading and Writing Informational Text in the Primary Grades: Research-Based Practices; Literacy and the Youngest Learner: Best Practices for Educators of Children from Birth to Five; Beyond Bedtime Stories: A Parent's Guide to Promoting Reading, Writing, and Other Literacy Skills From Birth to 5; and her most recent book, Reading and Writing Genre with Purpose in K - 8 Classrooms. She is also editor of The Research-Informed Classroom book series, co-editor with Ellin Keene of the Not This But That book series, and co-editor of the book Literacy Research Methodologies. Duke teaches preservice, inservice and doctoral courses in literacy education, speaks and consults widely on literacy education, and is an active member of several literacy-related organizations. She has served as author and consultant on a number of educational programs, including Buzz About IT, iOpeners, National Geographic Science K-2 and the DLM Express. Duke also has a strong interest in improving the quality of educational research training in the U.S. Nell is currently overseeing IRA's Literacy Research Panel blog, which you can follow here: http://www.reading.org/general/Publications/blog/LRPSamantha Caughlan is Assistant Professor of Teacher Education specializing in English language arts education at Michigan State University. A former English and drama teacher, Caughlan researches the effects of policy on teaching, classroom discourse, and literature study in secondary classrooms.Mary M. Juzwik is Associate Professor of Language and Literacy in the department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. A former middle school English teacher, Juzwik's research focuses on narrative discourse, hybrid genres, and writing in middle school classrooms.Nicole M. Martin is Assistant Professor of Reading Education at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Martin taught second and fourth graders in urban schools for several years, and her most recent research study explored how children read biography, persuasive texts, and procedural texts.