If a child cannot read all aspects of their life (social, academic, relational, financial, etc.), they will suffer, and this will continue into adulthood. Reading and understanding what you read is essential in almost everything we do, such as school work, homework, buying a car, buying a house, and so much more. Our job as educators is not just to teach a child to read, but also to ignite a passion for reading, striving to make it something that is almost as natural as breathing, and something we cannot live without. Developing a comprehensive literacy classroom is integral to this goal. What is a comprehensive literacy classroom? To answer you must first understand that each child in a class is different and therefore will have different needs. A teacher must find a way to meet the needs of all children, which can be very challenging and complex. The term used in the education world for this is differentiation. In a comprehensive literacy class, the teacher must differentiate instruction, often using small groups, pairs, or one-on-one sessions. You also need to make sure you create engaging lessons. By this I mean that students have so much fun that they almost forget that they are actually learning. In a comprehensive literacy classroom, teachers lecture very little and let students do most of the work. Ellery (2009), states that there are three key components to building a comprehensive literacy classroom. These components are curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Research suggests that your curriculum should include the five essential components for teaching reading; Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension (Learning...... middle of the paper...... You need to be prepared and have all the materials ready and very little waiting time. This helps keep your students focused and A teacher should never stop learning and utilize all the professional development opportunities presented. .strategic readers: techniques for developing skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehensionNewark, DE: International Reading Association.Learning Point Associates (2004). a review of science-based reading research for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/literacy/components.pdf.