This comprehensive book is a no-nonsense exploration of the latest and most successful approaches to teaching reading and writing to students aged nine to fourteen. Students in these middle school years are already reading and writing but they need help to continue to develop their literacy strategies and to construct meaning with a variety of resources.The remarkable book: covers the basics teachers need for understanding the reading and writing processes; offers techniques for making literacy concepts meaningful to these growing students; presents a thorough overview of the learning strategies to be acquired in the middle years; provides tips for implementing these strategies across the curriculum; includes novel ways to make connections to print texts and pupils" worlds; contains practical suggestions for expanding and monitoring comprehension; shows how to design instructional frameworks for supporting these developing readers and writers; illustrates how to model and demonstrate reading and writing strategies; and, contains suggestions for making non-fiction more meaningful across the curriculum.These students are beginning to explore their own identities and the book offers opportunities for helping them to write stories from their own lives, make informed opinions, and correspond with others. Rubrics, assessment checklists and a targeted book list complement this accessible resource. As students are faced with more reading, writing and thinking challenges, they will need support from knowledgeable and informed teachers, and this book demonstrates how reading and writing strategies can form the basis for continued learning.