Request full copy

Content Area Reading and Literacy: Succeeding in Today's Diverse Classrooms, 8th edition

Published by Pearson (August 3, 2016) © 2017

  • Victoria R. Gillis
  • George Boggs University of Georgia
  • Donna E. Alvermann University of Georgia

eTextbook

per month

  • Anytime, anywhere learning with the Pearson+ app
  • Easy-to-use search, navigation and notebook
  • Simpler studying with flashcards
$127.99

  • Hardcover, paperback or looseleaf edition
  • Affordable rental option for select titles
  • Key strengths of this edition include:
    • A focus on learning content through research-based discipline-appropriate literacy practices.
    • An increased emphasis on writing.
    • Increased attention to the use of media in teaching.
  • Chapters are organized to help students grasp the overriding principles of disciplinary literacy.
    • The planning chapter features the Learning Cycle, which is common across the curriculum, and all ensuing chapters are linked to that feature of the Learning Cycle (Ch. 3).
    • A graphic organizer in each chapter helps readers navigate the content of that chapter.
    • An Essential Question focuses the reader on overarching principles discussed in the chapter.
    • Guiding Questions associated with each section of the chapter move students through the topics being discussed.
    • Chapter summaries let students revisit each of the Guiding Questions.
    • A variety of examples of practices and strategy adaptations across the curriculum help readers pick and adapt those ideas that are most appropriate for their particular teaching situations.
  • Students connect the principles to their own lives.
    • Opening vignettes in each chapter provide a context for the information in the chapter.
    • End-of-chapter suggested readings on the chapter topic are drawn from the professional literature in all content areas.
    • Online aids for students include Anticipation Guides, which can serve to focus students’ reading and can be used for in-class or online discussion.
  • Instructors get additional help for teaching the course.
    • The opening vignettes, online Anticipation Guides, Essential and Guiding Questions can be used for focused discussions either in class or online, and are ideal for instructors teaching courses in Disciplinary Literacy or Content Area Reading.
    • An accompanying Instructor’s Resource Manual includes sample assessment questions, activities, and instructional ideas.
  • Reorganization of content and additional emphasis on several important topics ensures compatibility with most Disciplinary Literacy courses.
    • NEW! Three full chapters focus on writing instruction and cover:
      • Response to and assessment of writing (Ch.9).
      • Writing to learn (Ch. 10).
      • Writing to inquire (Ch. 11).
    • NEW! Diversity and culture are integrated throughout the text, helping readers see the pervasive influence of culture and diversity on classroom instruction and student learning.
      • Rather than the single chapter on Language, Diversity and Culture in the previous edition, information on diversity appears throughout the text.
      • A new chapter on Creating Effective Learning Environments has been added, based on instructor feedback.
    • NEW! Expanded treatment of life-long readers and learners beyond the printed text helps students see the importance of college and career readiness (Ch. 12).
    • NEW! An emphasis on close and critical reading in discipline-appropriate ways clarifies the differences in close reading in various disciplines and provides guidance in helping K-12 students become more critical readers (Chs. 6 and 8).
    • NEW! A new emphasis on evidence-based writing helps teachers understand the disciplinary differences in argument structure and function across the curriculum (Chs. 9, 10, and 11).
    • NEW! Increased emphasis on multimodal texts, both consuming and producing them, looks at audience, designing texts, and technological augmentation, being aware of affordances and constraints of multimodal platforms, and the social purposes of multimodal writing (Chs. 6, 9, 10, and 11). 
  • Three full chapters focusing on writing instruction cover:
    • Response to and assessment of writing (Ch.9).
    • Writing to learn (Ch. 10).
    • Writing to inquire (Ch. 11).
  • Diversity and culture are integrated throughout the text, so students see the pervasive influence of culture and diversity on classroom instruction and student learning.
    • Rather than the single chapter on Language, Diversity and Culture in the previous edition, information on diversity appears throughout the text and a new chapter on Creating Effective Learning Environments has been added.
  • The chapter on Studying and Study Strategies has been deleted and most of the content of that chapter has moved to the new chapter on writing to learn.
  • Expanded treatment of life-long readers and learners beyond the printed text helps students see the importance of college and career readiness (Ch. 12).
  • An emphasis on close and critical reading in discipline-appropriate ways clarifies the differences in close reading in various disciplines and provides guidance in helping K-12 students become more critical readers (Chs. 6 and 8).
  • A new emphasis on evidence-based writing helps teachers understand the disciplinary differences in argument structure and function across the curriculum (Chs. 9, 10, and 11).
  • Increased emphasis on multimodal texts, both consuming and producing them, looks at audience, designing texts, and technological augmentation, being aware of affordances and constraints of multimodal platforms, and the social purposes of multimodal writing (Chs. 6, 9, 10, and 11). 

Victoria R. Gillis graduated from North Georgia College with a BS degree in Biology and from Emory University with an MAT in Secondary Science Education. She taught middle and high school science courses including life science, chemistry, physics, and physical science in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina for 20 years. In the early 1970s, she encountered the ideas and concepts in what was known as content area reading and tried them in her classroom. Her success in using principles of active learning drawn from content area reading led her to return to graduate school to complete a PhD at the University of Georgia in 1994. Victoria taught graduate and undergraduate disciplinary literacy courses at Clemson University for 20 years and served as a volunteer in the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking project in Eastern Europe and Central America at the turn of the century. She is currently Wyoming Excellence in Education Literacy Chair in the College of Education at the University of Wyoming.

George L. Boggs graduated from King College with a B.A. in English/Literature and Religion before beginning his career as a teacher and coach in the Pacific Northwest. He taught middle school language arts, Latin, Spanish, and technology before returning to graduate school for a MA in Classics from Durham University in Great Britain. Graduate study in a different educational system in an entirely new field helped clarify a lifelong interest in disciplinary literacies. Returning to high school teaching in Georgia, he sought opportunities to help students make sense of the specialized ways of thinking that define school content areas, first, but also workplace and other domains that matter to children. This work culminated in doctoral research at the University of Georgia completed in 2012. His role as literacy researcher and teacher educator has positioned him at Florida State University to develop opportunities for teachers to understand the role of literacy in their subject area goals.

Donna Alvermann is the University of Georgia Appointed Distinguished Research Professor of Language and Literacy Education. She also holds an endowed chair position: The Omer Clyde and Elizabeth Parr Aderhold Professor in Education. Formerly a classroom teacher in Texas and New York, her research focuses on young people’s digital literacies and use of popular media. Author of numerous articles, she has several books to her credit: Adolescents and Literacies in a Digital World; Reconceptualizing the Literacies in Adolescents’ Lives (3rd ed.); Adolescents’ Online Literacies: Connecting Classrooms, Digital Media, and Popular Culture; and Bring It to Class: Unpacking Pop Culture in Literacy Learning. Most recently, she helped in designing an interactive website to learn how a community of researchers and researched objects can push boundaries associated with creating and disseminating “original” work and remixes online using a Creative Commons license.

Need help? Get in touch

Pearson+

All in one place. Pearson+ offers instant access to eTextbooks, videos and study tools in one intuitive interface. Students choose how they learn best with enhanced search, audio and flashcards. The Pearson+ app lets them read where life takes them, no wi-fi needed. Students can access Pearson+ through a subscription or their MyLab or Mastering course.

Video
Play
Privacy and cookies
By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Video transcript (PDF | 16KB) 

Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle. 

Digital Learning NOW

Extend your professional development and meet your students where they are with free weekly Digital Learning NOW webinars. Attend live, watch on-demand, or listen at your leisure to expand your teaching strategies. Earn digital professional development badges for attending a live session.

Explore webinars