This article describes some implications of using a multiple literacies perspective in the construction and implementation of literacy curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in early childhood and elementary classrooms. After briefly laying out a theoretical perspective in sections focusing on early literacy, academic learning, literacy beyond schools, literacy and social justice, and assessment, the article grounds the theoretical claims in examples of classroom practice. The article closes with the argument that by shifting the focus of the teaching and learning of literacy from an autonomous model to include a multiple literacies perspective, we can construct authentic spaces for learning that prepare students for equitable participation in a global communication and information economy.