This text emphasizes both constructivist and explicit strategies for teaching literacy to young children within an integrated language arts approach. With a thought-provoking and rich presentation, renowned author Lesley Morrow explores literacy development as an active process between children and adults to create meaning and real purpose. The Sixth Edition presents a theoretical and research-based rationale for its contents, as well as extensive practical applications to help students grasp the scope and the complexity of early literacy development. This Sixth Edition embraces integrated language arts and an interdisciplinary approach to literacy development as it addresses developing writing, reading, and oral language in the home and in school curriculum. The use of expository and narrative selections of children's literature is emphasized, as well as motivating children to become lifelong readers. This edition spends more time with strategies for preschool literacy and skill development in grades Pre-K through three. Both constructivist problem-solving teaching techniques and more explicit systematic instruction are discussed. Key to this Sixth edition is the expanded coverage in the assessment chapter of the importance of assessment-guided instruction. In addition, differentiation of instruction has been made a high priority, and much more attention has been paid to dealing with children from diverse backgrounds. There are also more practical examples of how teachers can put strategies into practice than in other editions, especially with the new supplementary perforated pages that can be torn out of the book for actual use with children.