Maximizing Motivation for Literacy Learning: Grades K-6

“This book is a ‘must read’  for all those who are (or will be) teaching reading. Without motivation, we cannot teach children to become lifelong voluntary readers. The book illustrates how to motivate children with choices, suitable challenges, social interaction, and success–and how to make literacy more interesting and relevant for them. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned many excellent strategies.”–Lesley Mandel Morrow, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Learning and Teaching, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

“This informative, easy-to-use resource is full of practical ideas that fit into the constraints of the busy elementary classroom and mesh well with Common Core standards. The book addresses a very common pitfall to student achievement–lack of motivation. I will definitely use the read-aloud text selection suggestions and the concept of ‘honoring all print’ in my classroom.”–Denise Ashe Devine, MS, fourth-grade teacher, Chittenango (New York) Central Schools

Linda B. Gambrell, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Education and former Director of the Eugene T. Moore School of Education at Clemson University. A past president of the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Reading Conference (NRC), and the College Reading Association, she is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Outstanding Teacher Educator in Reading Award and the William S. Gray Citation of Merit from the IRA, the Albert J. Kingston Award from the NRC, and the Oscar Causey Award from the Literacy Research Association, and is a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Dr. Gambrell’s research and publications focus on comprehension and cognitive processing, literacy motivation, and the role of discussion in teaching and learning.

Susan Anders Mazzoni, MEd, is an independent literacy consultant who works with administrators and teachers to improve literacy practices in elementary school classrooms. Since the late 1990s, she has worked with teachers on implementing phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary instruction in ways that promote student engagement and literacy motivation. Ms. Mazzoni has taught reading courses and served as a research assistant for the National Reading Research Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research and publications address reading motivation, reading engagement, emergent literacy, and discussion.