Literacy Learning Clubs in Grades 4-8 ─ Engaging Students Across the Disciplines

Literacy learning clubs are highly motivating small-group collaborations that can improve tweens' and teens' academic achievement, support their social-emotional development, and increase their enjoyment of reading and writing. This book explains the research basis for the author's approach and offers practical instructions for implementation in English language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics classrooms, illustrated with detailed case examples. Links to the Common Core State Standards are identified, and multimodal methods and new literacies emphasized throughout. User-friendly features include end-of-chapter reflection questions and suggested activities. The Appendix provides reproducible planning forms and handouts that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Heather Kenyon Casey, PhD, is Associate Professor of Literacy Education at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in literacy, coordinates the graduate-level literacy concentration, and is Site Director of the National Writing Project. A former middle school language arts teacher and a certified reading specialist, Dr. Casey is past co-chair of the Adolescent Literacy Task Force and the Literacy Reform Task Force of the International Literacy Association (ILA). Her research focuses on the use of collaborative learning structures and new literacies to support adolescent literacy development and engagement. She has published numerous articles and book chapters in these areas and recently edited a series for the ILA, Literacy Practices That Adolescents Deserve. She has also led several grants in partnership with the National Writing Project focusing on building teacher leadership.