This book describes a whole language program that has as its ultimate goal the creation of students who read competently, critically, and joyfully, far beyond the classroom door. The book urges teachers to move beyond the skills-based approach and to embrace a philosophy that begins with the heart--rather than the head--of the learner. The book…

A supplemental reading program designed to increase basic reading vocabulary was implemented as a practicum project with first-grade students demonstrating deficiencies in reading. The students were assigned to teams (organized according to alphabetized lists of topics generated by the students) to write, illustrate, and read books cooperatively…