Taking a consistent student- and response-centered approach to literature-based teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, this book is designed for use as a main text in undergraduate and graduate language arts methods courses. The book is firmly grounded in current social constructivist learning theory combined with a reader-response perspective toward teaching with literature. Chapters in the book are: (1) Learning and Teaching Language Arts; (2) Children and Language; (3) Language and Cultural Diversity; (4) Emergent Literacy; (5) Listening and Talking; (6) Drama in the Classroom; (7) Teaching with Literature; (8) Reading as a Language Art; (9) The Writing Process; (10) Reading and Writing; (11) Language Conventions: Grammar, Talking, and Writing; (12) Language Conventions: Spelling, Punctuation, and Handwriting; (13) Media Literacy; and (14) Language across the Curriculum. An appendix provides teaching ideas, lesson plans, and lists of children's books that coincide with seasons, events, holidays, and themes. (RS)