This insightful book shows teachers how reading and writing instruction has evolved — where we were, where we are, and where we can go in literacy learning. It looks at a wealth of literacy techniques that range from group reading to whole language to synthetic phonics to reading and writing workshops. Each chapter begins with a glimpse of a modern classroom where a remarkable teacher is engaged in a significant literacy event, one that inspires and motivates students. The book features a dozen vignettes of these outstanding teachers in action, and reflects on what has happened in the past that informed such successful classroom practice. David Booth, himself an extraordinary educator, then goes on to share his insights into the way forward; the changes in literacy education that will merge into programs for the next generation of children.