Engaging in the Language Arts: Exploring the Power of Language (with MyEducationLab) - Softcover

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About the Authors

 Donna Ogle is Professor of Education at National-Louis University in Chicago, Illinois, and is actively involved in staff development projects work in the Chicago Public Schools, the Reading Leadership Institute, and in other American school districts. Dr. Ogle serves as a literacy consultant internationally, including Critical Thinking International and as a part of the editorial review boards of Lectura y Vida and the Thinking Classroom. She recently finished her term as president of the International Reading Association (IRA). Donna also conducts research on visual literacy and content comprehension, having developed both the K-W-L and PRC2 (partner reading in content, too). She is the author of many books, book chapters, and professional articles and conducts national and international workshops on teaching for comprehension and higher order thinking, as well as using the arts in teaching. Her K-W-L procedure has become so renowned that teachers use it all over the world.

James Beers is Professor of Reading, Language, and Literacy in the School of Education at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. He is also the Director of the Eastern Virginia Writing Project of the National Writing Project which helps teachers help their students become better writers. He has a B.A. in English from Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in English, and Ph.D. in Reading from the University of Virginia.   

            Dr. Beers has taught reading, writing, and spelling to students at all grade levels and has published books, chapters, and articles on reading, writing, and spelling. Among these publications are Developmental and Cognitive Aspects of Learning to Spell and Writing for Competency. James is also an author on the Scott Foresman Reading and Spelling Programs. He has given numerous in-service workshops throughout the United States and Canada for teachers and administrators on the teaching of reading, writing, and spelling. He has assisted a number of school systems in developing K-12 reading and writing curricula and the three- to four-year plans for implementing the curricula.

            Along with his wife, Dr. Carol S. Beers, James has participated in the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking Project through the International Reading Association’s International Volunteer Program. This project has helped teachers in eastern European countries promote critical thinking and independent learning through reading and writing in their students. James and Carol are currently co-authoring a book that addresses what every principal should know about reading.

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Extraordinary Reviews for This Exciting New Text:

“Ogle and Beers have focused on what teachers need to know and do to help children become more adept language users.  [T]his is simply the best language arts textbook available today [and] I can’t wait to use it with my students in the language arts methods course.”  —Linda B. Gambrell, Clemson University, president of International Reading Association 2007-08

 “Donna and Jim do a masterful job of cutting a pathway through language theory, research, and practice to get to the core understandings teachers will need to support students in all facets of language learning-speaking, listening, writing, and reading.”  —P. David Pearson, Dean of the Graduate School of Education of Berkeley University 

Distinguished authors Donna Ogle and Jim Beers strongly believe that language is best learned when it is used well. With this goal in mind, they have crafted an ideal text for instructors seeking a focus on contemporary communication and visual literacy, using varied genre and electronic resources. Unlike any other book on the market, Engaging in the Language Arts offers students a firsthand look at the language challenges teachers face in today’s classrooms, how to identify these language possibilities, and how to make optimal use of these possibilities in their own classrooms. Described by reviewers as a "keeper," this text provides a guide for ensuring that language is alive in the classroom and that children explore varied ways to use language regularly. Ogle and Beers present a lively narrative, clear organization (KWL-style), exceptional pedagogy, and special features that bring the language arts to life.

In addition to the strongest coverage of writing of any other text, the following content and chapters were lauded by reviewers as unique in the field:

• In-depth focus on visual literacy throughout the text reinforces the contemporary communication coverage. This topic is presented using in-text examples and a highlighted feature strand.
• Chapter 2:  Understanding Oral Language Development and Chapter 3:  Developing Speaking and Listening provide a developmental approach to oral language that thoroughly explores both theory and teaching practice.
• Chapter 4: Supporting Diverse Learners and Exploring Diversity boxed features introduce the needs of today's students and ideas for instruction and assessment of students with special needs and students who are English Language learners.
• Chapter 9 on Spelling Development includes connections to writing and literature to offer a context for teaching spelling.
• Chapter 15 on Incorporating Technology into the classroom includes web resources to support language arts.

To order this book WITH MyEducationLab, use either ISBN:

ISBN-13: 9780137147953

ISBN-10: 0137147953

To order this book WITHOUT MyEducationLab use either ISBN:

ISBN-13: 9780205430932

ISBN-10: 0205430937