Literacy Moments

In the course of any given day in an early-elementary classroom, a variety of situations present themselves through which a thoughtful teacher could develop teachable moments. This book provides teachers with the tools to consider those teachable opportunities as literacy moments: brief, authentic, joyful encounters with texts in all forms. Here, teachers learn to nurture joyful readers by infusing their classrooms' daily lives with authentic literacy moments every day. The book is organized into three sections, each section containing three chapters. The first section's chapters focus on creating a "literacy moments" learning environment, addressing both the affective and physical domains, as well as the need for teachers to undergo a mindset shift in cultivating their personal reading habits. The second section's chapters emphasize literacy moments for the foundational skills of word recognition and vocabulary development. Here, readers explore the integration of popular culture and the arts into their physical domain, as well as methods for creating and effectively using a print-rich environment. The last section's chapters target literacy moments for developing critical thinking through comprehension processes. The chapters focus on intentionally incorporating literacy moments in each stage of the reading process: pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading.

Jacqueline Witter-Easley is the dean of the Division of Professional Studies at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where she also serves as an associate professor in the Department of Education and teaches courses in elementary reading methods and creative arts. Dr. Easley is a former elementary teacher, primarily in grades one and two. She was also an assistant children's librarian in her local public library where she created a variety of children's programs for the community.

Introduction
Part 1: Creating a "Literacy Moments" Learning Environment-An Introduction
Chapter 1: Do You Have What It Takes? Nurturing Joyful Readers
Chapter 2: Cultivating a Vibrant Classroom Library with Culturally Responsive Books
Chapter 3: Empowering Beginning Readers Through Author Studies
Part 2: Literacy Moments for Word Recognition and Vocabulary Development-An Introduction
Chapter 4: Immersing Students in a Print-Rich "Literacy Moments" Environment
Chapter 5: Integrating Popular Culture to Facilitate Foundational Literacy Skills
Chapter 6: Integrating the Arts in Literacy Instruction
Part 3: Literacy Moments for Developing Comprehension Processes-An Introduction
Chapter 7: Pre-Reading Activities
Chapter 8: During-Reading Activities
Chapter 9: Post-Reading Activities
Appendix: Diverse Children's Authors and Their Birthdays
Reference List
Children's Books Cited
About the Author