Extending the editors' system for word study, this book presents essays by scholars and practitioners who explore letter and word learning in a variety of reading, writing, and language contexts in the primary classroom, with articles that range from detailed observations of individual readers and writers to full-scale analyses of classroom processes and student work. The book includes practical information on how to engage in interactive writing and shared reading, how to use a word wall and word sorting, and how to use effective assessment tools. The book contains reproducible sheets and lists for classroom application as well as end-of-chapter professional development activities. Essays in the book are: (1) "Word Solving: Investigating the Properties of Words" (Gay Su Pinnell); (2) "Word Matters: A Curriculum for Helping Children Become Word Solvers" (Irene C. Fountas); (3) "Interactive Writing: The How and Why of Teaching and Learning Letters, Sounds, and Words" (Barbara Joan Wiley); (4) "Becoming a Writer: Learning through Interactive Writing" (Justina Henry); (5) "Kindergarten Explorations of Letters, Sounds, and Words" (Andrea McCarrier and Ida Patacca); (6) "Letter Learning in the Early Literacy Classroom" (Carol A. Lyons); (7) "Assessing Spelling Knowledge: The Child as a Reader and Writer" (Carol Brennan Jenkins); (8) "Language Delights and Word Play: The Foundation for Literacy Learning" (David Booth); (9) "Sorting It Out through Word Sorts" (Jerry Zutell); (10) "Multilevel Word Study: Word Charts, Word Walls, and Word Sorts" (Dorothy P. Hall and Patricia M. Cunningham); (11) "Learning Links in Language and Literacy" (Diane E. DeFord); (12) Helping Young Readers Learn How To Problem Solve Words While Reading" (Billie J. Askew); (13) "Investigating Letters and Words through Shared Reading" (Susan Hundley and Diane Powell); (14) "How Children Learn To Spell: Evidence from Decades of Research" (Sandra Wilde); (15) "How Do Children Learn to Read? Evidence from Decades of Research" (William Stokes); and (16) "Meeting the Literacy Challenge: The Role of Word Matters" (Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell). Contains an approximately 250-item list of professional books and resources and works of children's literature. (RS)