Continuing its emphasis on a student- and response-centered approach to literature-based teaching in today's culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, this third edition discusses these principles not only through explanation, but through examples of real teachers in real classrooms involved in the actual implementation of these ideas. The book offers "snapshot" features that give a glimpse into a real classroom, demonstrating how material discussed in the chapter can be transformed into action; lesson plans that offer specific suggestions which can readily be put into practice; and "ripple effects," graphic organizers that illustrate how response-themed learning spreads out across the curriculum. A "Schoolyear Activity Planner" (an appendix in the previous edition) has now been expanded, updated, and put in a separate, easily portable supplement. Chapters in the book are: (1) Learning and Teaching Language Arts; (2) Children and Language Development; (3) Language and Cultural Diversity; (4) Emergent Literacy; (5) Spoken Language; (6) Drama in the Classroom; (7) Teaching with Literature; (8) The Reading Process; (9) The Writing Process; (10) Reading and Writing; (11) Grammar, Punctuation, and Handwriting; (12) Spelling; (13) Media Literacy; and (14) Language across the Curriculum. Contains approximately 500 references; the International Reading Association/National Council of Teachers of English Standards for the English Language Arts is attached. (RS)