Describes some of the discussions and writing that first grade children engaged in as the result of their exposure to literature read aloud. (HTH)

Presents a case study of a fourth grade boy writing science fiction in a writing workshop. (HTH)

Explores a preschooler's repeated attraction to two books, and what it means in terms of the child's literacy before she learns to read. Describes the child's advancing critical skills. (HTH)

Describes a small scale study of children's experiences with books read aloud in nursery schools. Explores what young children learn from hearing books and stories read aloud, and shows how data from this study and a larger scale study conducted simultaneously can illuminiate thinking about early literacy. (HTH)

Examines ways in which the varying degrees of distance that occur in drama may help children to engage in more abstract levels of thought and language. (HTH)

Describes a study of the features of British children's narrative writing, at ages 7, 10, and 13. The results indicated a progression from a simple chronicle of events, through simple stories based on a disruption of the probabilities, to more highly developed stories. (HTH)

Suggests that teachers and children may have different ideas about how people talk about stories in classrooms. Describes how teachers loosened their attempts to control children's talk and subsequently shared control with them, and collaborated in exploring stories and in teaching/learning to read. (HTH)

Outlines how the Talk Workshop Group of England, a support group model, was transplanted to inservice workshops conducted by Bay Area Writing Project personnel. (HTH)

Lists titles, authors, and publishers of books selected by an NCTE team as appropriate for literature-based reading programs. The titles are divided into primary, intermediate, and advanced levels. (HTH)

A British educator discusses the role of self-expressive talk in the learning process and the influence of teacher attitudes on learning through language. (HTH)

Discusses the value of reflective thought in classroom drama. Examines three levels of reflection in drama, discussing how integration of reflection and drama can become a medium for learning. (HTH)

Describes a teacher inservice project intended to develop a language policy for using writing as a learning tool. Argues that the inservice context for teachers as learners is similar to that of the classroom and that the opportunity for talking should likewise be used for learning in the classroom. (HTH)

Explores how dialog writing, in which two participants "converse in writing," incorporates the interactive aspects of oral communication and the self-directed aspects of essay writing. Includes passages written over a year's time by a sixth grade student in a "dialogue journal" showing the development of his writing. (HTH)

Describes the related processes of metaphoric production and comprehension as they are represented by students in the five-to-eleven year age range. Offers guidelines for incorporating the exploration of metaphor in elementary school language programs. (HTH)

Examines requests for information and action in peer-directed groups of children engaged in learning specific skills. Concludes that (1) children who use information requests effectively obtain higher test scores, (2) children can help each other learn, and (3) encouraging small group talk about a task promotes academic and social learning. (HTH)