This book by an award-winning author presents readers with a wealth of information regarding the four primary language arts skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The focus is on effective teaching of these skills at the elementary school level, and it contains an enormous amount of children's literature of all genres. Research on learning environments, motivation, instructional procedures, and teacher effectiveness is tied to examples of lesson plans, themes, and formal and informal assessment strategies. Real-life examples of children's oral and written responses to literature are included. The book also contains the newest multicultural children's literature. This book is a must-have reference for all primary education centers and schools, as it contains thoroughly updated booklists with helpful annotations. Can also be useful for teachers of ESL courses in secondary schools and continuing education centers. Parents interested in home schooling will find this book a useful resource.