Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach

by Gail E. Tompkins

"Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach" is a thoroughly applied text written to ensure that readers understand the current theories behind and the critical components of instruction for teaching reading and writing as complementary in the development of literacy. Readers are treated to a philosophical approach that not only balances the why, what, and how of teaching literacy but also offers practical pedagogy-teaching strategies and instructional procedures-that foster thoughtful teacher preparation and ensures alignment to the literacy goals teachers are responsible to teach. New text features model practices that support diverse populations, instruction driven by sound classroom assessment, and new literacy strategies that will help teachers transform literacy learning with digital devices. Integrating the best of what we know about teaching reading and writing, the Sixth Edition of this popular introductory text provides the balance teachers need to be successful in the classroom.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Professional Development, Writing

544 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

Gail E. Tompkins earned her master’s degree and then her doctorate in Reading/Language Arts from Virginia Tech. She began her teaching career at Miami University in Ohio, then transferred to the University of Oklahoma and finally taught at California State University in Fresno. Because of her work with preservice and practicing teachers she received numerous awards for her teaching including the Provost’s Award of Excellence in Teaching at Cal State, Fresno and was inducted into the California Reading Association’s Reading Hall of Fame. She has been writing college textbooks for over 30 years—all focused on anticipating the questions teachers might ask and providing information to make her text users the most effective teachers. Other titles she has written include Language Arts: Patterns of Practice, 9e; Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach, 6e; Literacy for the Early Grades: A Successful Start for PreK-4 Readers and Writers, 3e; Literacy in the Middle Grades, 2e; and, 50 Literacy Strategies, 4e.

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely good for future teachers! I won't be selling this one back to the bookstore when the semester is over - it had some really good ideas for lesson planning and teaching struggling readers & writers.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bureaucrat giving other governmental bureaucrats the vocabulary needed to keep their jobs.

[E.A.G. E.A.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of good information and methods to consider in this book. It is an excellent resource for the teachers and future teachers. I really enjoyed the reading of this book and found it to be very informative for both my classroom observations and the time class assignments. I will definitely reflect 0n this from time to time for lesson planning.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a textbook for my reading instruction class and I really enjoyed it. It provided information in an organized fashion with plenty of classroom resources, booklists, and instructional strategies which I am sure I will use in the future as an educator. This would be a good reference tool for the future.

[Devan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly well-written and well-researched book, jam packed with both theory and practical information for literacy educators. Even has special notes in each section about relevance for ELLs. Awesome resource.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice look at the modern literacy classroom.

[Tiffeny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource for teachers with ways to teach all learners (on target, struggling, advances, ELLs, etc) and practical tips & tricks.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, tad dense, but very informative.

[Nancy Brown]

Read for teacher licensure Spring 2025 Colorado Mesa University

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a tremendous resource for beginning educators. It offers specific examples of the topics covered in applying the techniques and assessments discussed. The charts and tables provide quick access to the comprehensive material making this book user-friendly and necessary to include on every teacher's book shelf.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational. Truly describes a balanced literacy approach to teaching including many real-life examples, strategies that teachers have found effective, and great information about how children learn to read.

[Talli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will be helpful in teaching because it addresses various issues with teaching literacy to our students. It talks a lot about things like shared reading, shared writing, read alouds, interactive writing, and guided reading.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real-life examples, tools for teaching and assessing students, sample minilessons, and lots of fabulous ideas for teaching literacy.

Worthwhile to look through if starting literature circles, reading/writing workshop, or looking for ideas on teaching elements of literacy.

[Heidiann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read one chapter but this book seems to be really informative on teaching literacy.

[Jessicaleighb]

This is an AMAZING resource for any literacy collection

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as part of a class I was taking.

[Joli Wake]

excellent resource for teaching Emergent Readers

[Lteegarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book to share with my Reading Gang!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful introduction for those just learning about how to teach reading and also a great resource for seasoned teachers.

[Ellen Deckinga]

Great review prior to the reading specialist exam. It has some great nuggets for instruction that teachers would benefit from.