Aiming to disprove the media's insistence that American schools are typically ill-equipped to teach children from low-income neighborhoods, this book describes a primary school teacher's use of a blend of meaningful and interesting reading material, early writing practice, speaking, and explicit instruction. It describes teaching methods in great and practical details--everything from getting the classroom ready for a new school year, to developing strategies for shared reading, to establishing a "writing studio." Samples of student work, plus narratives of how bilingual and English-only students rise to new challenges, offer illustrations of the teacher's methods in action. Assessment practices for closely monitoring students' progress are outlined in the book, as well as novel ways to implement and maintain diagnostic and student-kept literacy portfolios. Chapters in the book are: (1) Creating and Readying; (2) Planning and Starting; (3) Shared Reading; (4) Quiet Reading; (5) Nightly Reading and Partner Reading; (6) Book Talks; (7) Monitoring Progress; (8) Struggling Readers; (9) Quiet Writing and Writing Notebooks; (10) Journals; (11) Developing a Writing Workshop; (12) Monitoring Progress; (13) Struggling Writers; (14) Spelling; and (15) Portfolios: Building a Literacy History. (Contains 51 references; appendixes contain numerous sample letters, homework forms, lists of favorite books of various genres, recommended resources for primary teachers, and checklists.) (RS)