Drawing and writing in response to picturebook read-alouds, elementary children construct varying "visual hooks" in their sketches as effective visual devices for extending ideas for writing: the bubble hook, the zoom hook, and the group hook. This article reports on a 12-week qualitative study in which children in second grade develop as writers…

Presents an interview with author Jack Gantos, whose career spans almost 25 years. Notes how he spoke passionately about his craft and about supporting emerging writers. Discusses how avid journaling is one technique that he uses that could benefit anyone. (SG)

Profiles and interviews Donald Graves--writer, teacher, thinker, researcher, and recipient of NCTE's Award for Outstanding Educator in the Language Arts--about his research on children's writing, his work in the field, his thoughts about directions for the future, and influences on him. (SR)

Interviews with fourth grade students about their writing in science revealed their perspectives on purposes for writing, understandings of intended audiences, and use of visuals. A discussion of these themes is situated in a consideration of theory and research on genre. The article includes suggestions for teachers related to the teaching of…

Shares interviews with elementary and middle school teachers that offer insight into how they respond to potentially controversial writing topics in an effort to understand their perspectives and beliefs about writing topics within their classrooms. Suggests that teachers need to ask challenging questions, acknowledge their biases, and get ready…

Provides ideas for helping students find sources and discover a topic for a research paper and discusses students' research processes, focusing on the need to allow students time to make meanings out of the facts they gather. (SRT)

Interviews Lisa Delpit from the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University. Argues that many nonmainstream children need explicit instruction in literacy conventions and strategies to gain access to the culture of power. (MG)

Presents conversations with parents, teachers, and children around portfolios that provide a better picture of a child's growth and understanding than standardized test scores ever can. Concludes that the involvement of students, teachers, and parents in conversation about children's literacy development brings the potential of a common vision and…