Written for prospective and beginning early elementary grade teachers, especially those who work with large numbers of high risk students, the essays in this book provide in-depth looks into teachers' successful literacy and content rich classrooms as they come to know the characteristics and plan for the needs of individual students. The book also describes the development of 2 successful parent/school partnership programs, and provides a brief account of the major issues in the current debate about early literacy instruction. Essays in the book are: (1) "'We Teached Ourselves': Good Beginnings in a Diverse Kindergarten" (Linda Edwards); (2) "Being Loved by Thank Yous!: Rural First Graders Make Connections" (Tina A. DeStephen); (3) "'I Can Read So Good 'Cause I Write So Much': Learning from and with Inner-City Second Graders" (Melanie Ricks); (4) "'Try Huff and Puff!': Discovering Children and Creating Curriculum in One Small Town Third Grade" (Cathy Clarkson); (5) "'I Hate Words!': Bridging the Gap with Learning Disabled Fourth Graders" (John E. Bertrand); (6) "Hoa Means 'Flower': Language, Learners, and Culture in an ESL Multi-age Classroom" (Kathy Miller); (7) "'Won't Nobody Come!': Four Critical Components for Creating Successful Parent/School Partnerships in Distressed Communities" (John E. Bertrand); and (8) "The Components of Successful Literacy Instruction in the Early Grades" (Carole F. Stice and Nancy P. Bertrand). (Contains references at the end of each essay, and a 73-item list of suggested professional readings in both early literacy and children at risk.) (RS)