Olney, MD, February 4, 2008--Comprehension skills are important tools that children need to function successfully in today's information-rich sophisticated global community. To compete and thrive in such an environment, students must graduate with the ability to read, write, listen, speak, and think effectively, access information across all content areas, and use complex comprehension and critical reasoning abilities. Content literacy - the ability to read, write, and communicate effectively across all content areas - is the topic of Focus on Literacy: Effective Content Teachers for the Middle Grades, which has just been published by the Association for Childhood Education International.

Editors Jan Lacina and Patricia A. Watson examine content area literacy teaching practices in the middle grades, and describe how many teachers have difficulty with content literacy, as few have observed this practice within the classroom. Research indicates that content area teacher candidates are resistant to learning about literacy strategies while enrolled in content area reading courses, and many do not view literacy to be a high priority for content area teaching.

Focus on Literacy features contributions from middle grade teachers in a variety of settings, and provides many examples of ways to integrate content literacy throughout several content areas and middle grade levels. The contributors demonstrate that using instructional strategies that incorporate reading and writing are effective in helping students acquire content knowledge and understanding. Even new teachers and teacher candidates can feel comfortable employing the examples of exemplary, child-centered content area literacy teaching practices in the classroom.

The chapters are organized according to discipline, type of classroom, strategies for all classrooms, and professional development resources. The book concludes with various research-based instructions and tools on how to implement these practical teaching techniques.

For further information about this book, visit http://www.acei.org/effective.htm, and for other childhood education issues, visit http://www.acei.org.

Focus on Literacy: Effective Content Teachers for the Middle Grades. Editors: Jan Lacina and Patricia A. Watson, 192 pp. 2008. ISBN-13978-0-87173-172-2. $22.00