This book, intended for teachers of grades 4-8, is organized into 9 units with distinct genres or subgenres of literature. Each of the units begins with an overview for the teacher summarizing the essential characteristics of the genre, followed by pre-reading activities to help students recall and organize their previous reading, followed by a reading and responding section. The units also include a section on responding options, with reproducible response guides, and a synthesizing and applying section, which suggests on-going, multi-modal activities. The book offers "highlights" for teachers, which include the reproducibles, a range of activities from easy to challenging, provisions for group or individual activities, and an annotated bibliography, divided into genres also. Chapters cover: (1) poetry; (2) biography; (3) autobiography; (4) reports of information; (5) realistic fiction in a modern setting; (6) historical fiction; (7) folk literature; (8) mystery; and (9) modern fantasy and science fiction. The book offers guidelines which may be used in the sequence suggested, organized into the teacher's own choice for sequence, or units may be used for special curricular needs. (CR)