This study examines a collaborative project between a literacy professor and a classroom teacher. The professor used a Newbery Award winning novel to develop a unit for a fifth-grade classroom using curricular materials and methods that showcased research-based literacy practices. The fifth-grade teacher, in turn, used her knowledge of students' strengths and challenges in comprehending texts to modify the activities to meet their specific needs. This collaborative approach to designing instruction enhanced students' enthusiasm for the unit, the depth of their discussions, their personal connections with characters, and their critical and literary analyses of the text. This collaborative approach also provided an authentic model of effective literacy instruction for the professor's preservice teachers.