This book offers teachers a handbook for teaching literacy to diverse students in grades 3-8. The balanced literacy method combines the best practices of phonics and other skill-based language instruction with the holistic, literature-based approach in order to help teach reading, writing, and speaking in a clear and approachable format. This dynamic resource offers an easily accessible research-based approach to balanced literacy that is grounded in the innovative ideas developed by authors Sandra F. Rief and Julie A. Heimburge. The book includes detailed descriptions of what a balanced literacy classroom looks like and shows how to create a program from the ground up or give an existing program a boost. The book can be used across content areas and is filled with reproducible worksheets, activities, and other handy classroom tools. Some topics covered include: (1) Shared book experiences; (2) Reading aloud; (3) Oral language and vocabulary development; (4) Guided reading for comprehension; (5) Modeled writing; (6) Reading and writing conferences ; (7) Book clubs; (8) Content area reading and writing; (9) Ongoing assessments; and (10) Enhancing literacy through technology. This book is organized into the following chapters: (1) Balance and the Challenges of Reading and Teaching Diverse Readers and Writers; (2) Setting Up a Balanced Literacy Environment; (3) Reading in the Literacy Workshop; (4) Writing in the Literacy Workshop; (5) Nonfiction and Its Place in Balanced Literacy; (6) Strengthening Word Knowledge and Fluency; (7) Making Oral Language a Priority; (8) Using a Thematic Approach: Survival; (9) Special Units of Study; (10) Book Clubs and Literature Circles; (11) Reading and Writing Difficulties in Students; (12) Reading Strategies, Supports, and Accommodations; and (13) Writing Strategies, Scaffolds, and Accommodations. The following are appended: (1) Sixty Recommended Web Sites for Teachers & Students Grades 3-8: A Wealth of Resources for Enhancing Literacy; and (2) Building Community: A Two-Week Unit of Study. Contains an index.