Educational theorists repeatedly call for more hands-on, authentic, interpretative instruction in social studies. They characterize such instruction as "helping students understand the knowledge construction process" or teaching students "to construct their own historical narratives." While there have been some exceptions, most…

Classroom language and literacy practices need to be reconceptualized to account for the valuable role talk and interaction play in the process of learning to write. Teachers should construct learning environments within which interaction between students and teachers is the primary focus. The participation framework of kindergarten journal…

An 8-month study tracked 166 second graders of various ethnic backgrounds in an urban setting while they were being motivated to read through a literature-based reading and writing program. The classrooms in which the research was conducted used basal readers and did not have well-designed literacy centers. Collaboration was not an integral part…

This book, intended for teachers of grades 1-3, offers a step-by-step model for teaching writing. Each of the book's 15 mini-lessons includes a model lesson, lists of picture books suited to the writing skill being taught, samples of children's writing, and ideas for extending the lesson. The book's lessons cover exploring ideas for writing,…

This book explores the findings and beliefs researchers and teachers have shared about classroom practices and children's writing processes, highlighting representative studies with a focus on classroom application. The book examines subjects in a comprehensive review of recent research. It looks at past findings and presents challenging questions…

This book brings together the perspectives of teachers, administrators, consultants, and researchers on teaching writing to create a bridge between theory and practice. The book's 11 chapters are organized into three sections that tackle some persistent knots of writing instruction and assessment. Under Section I-Students' and Teachers' Learning…

In the traditional alphabet, 26 letters represent 40 different and distinct sounds of the spoken English language in transcription. This prevents a one-to-one phoneme-grapheme correspondence since some of the written symbols represent more than one sound. These inconsistencies in the writing system, recognized as the source of difficulty in…

A study examined the situated and idiosyncratic writing strategies of a stratified purposeful sampling of five second and third grade children and the interplay between their strategy use and the multi-layered instructional contexts created by their teacher. Over a period of one school year, qualitative data (field notes, interviews, tape…

This research project studied the effects of using poetry to build community in a diverse third grade classroom. Eight poetry activities were taught twice a week for 6 weeks to a class of 23 students. More than half of the students who took part in this study were English Language Learners and several students had special needs. Poetry brought…

The articles in this Proceedings of the 2000 College Reading Association Conference focus on teachers/mentors. Following the Presidential Address, "Literacy 2001: What Is and What Should Be" (J. Cassidy) and the Early Leader, "College Reading Then and Now: How Much of a Difference Has 50 Years Made" (M. Maxwell), articles in…

This article discusses a program that used holistic literacy instruction to foster literacy growth, self-expression, and communication skills in children with developmental disabilities. Strategies are highlighted for providing writing opportunities in the classroom, and recommendations are made to guide teachers in planning curricula and…

Describes project on making a book of stories told to kindergartners by their Yup'ik families. After parents told children stories, children retold and illustrated them at school, and created books. They wrote letters to parents, shared stories at an open house, and received copies of the book. Project encouraged home-school partnership and…

Three kindergarten teachers integrated developmentally appropriate 30-minute daily writing experiences into the curriculum. Both teachers and students came to value writing time, and teachers became more comfortable in making writing an integral part of each day. A modified program in the second year introduced sight words and word walls earlier.…

Describes an at-home project whereby students collaborate with their parents in writing a book, and the resulting books are shared at year's end. Involves parents and students in signing performance contracts, developing reading and writing, and sharing skills. (ET)

Describes the use of experiential learning activities in a first grade classroom composed of learners at several levels, including some with learning disabilities and some with special speech and language needs. Presents learning activities to integrate mathematics with developmentally appropriate process writing, including a birthday graph, dice…