Examines why, despite research and opinion that favors the utilization of popular texts to teach literacy, teachers in a research and development project still have an aversion to embracing children's interest in popular culture. Finds teachers who did not wish to use popular culture in their classrooms shared similar traditional conceptions of…

Notes that in England, literature (poetry, narrative, plays) is taught as part of the National Literacy Strategy and a child's knowledge of how it works may be assessed if literary texts are included in the end of Key Stage 2 reading test. Explores some of the dangers which result from viewing the minimum entitlement as the maximum being aimed at…

Describes work undertaken as part of a partnership program initiated to encourage collaborative research between primary school teachers in England and university tutors. Notes the teachers explored ways of developing children as reflective writers. Illustrates the impact on achievement, analyzes some examples of writing, and discusses evidence of…

Explores the different demands of scripted and unscripted story writing tasks and the extent to which the task prompted a group of Scottish pupils to adopt different writing behaviors and attitudes. Raises questions about how children are taught to write stories and suggests that a better understanding of the demands of story-writing task could…

Follows from a previous investigation into the impact of guidance given in writing tasks when 600 eleven-year-olds completed writing tasks with varying content and structural support. Probes children's thinking as they face a writing stimulus and plan their writing. Investigates whether the support facilitated better writing and if the nature of…

Describes a small action research project currently being undertaken by a group of primary teachers and an LEA (Local Education Authority) professional development consultant for English. Explores ways in which the introduction of writing journals enhances children's confidence and competence as writers. Concludes that it seems worth looking…

In this article, the author talks about tutoring and learning. He first discusses the analytical and technical questions about the why, what, when, and how of tutoring. He begins by saying a little bit about why he is involved, interested, and fascinated by the very complex human activity people call tutoring. He argues that tutoring is an…

This paper examines the co-constructed nature of classroom life, and what became constituted as one child's story of literacy learning in first grade. It takes an over-time look at how opportunities for literacy learning were constructed within multiple, intermingling contexts (classroom, school, district, and family). Derek's literacy learning…

The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to explore the nature of elementary school children's metacognitive knowledge of strategies appropriate for before, during, and after reading; and (b) to determine whether children who had participated in Reading Recovery instruction in the first grade had similar understandings as their current third-…

Miscue analysis and eye movement analysis are used to explore the reading process of first-grade beginning readers as they use pictures and print in a picture book designed for instructional purposes. Eye movement miscue analysis (EMMA) is also used as a tool to gain insights into the reading strategies of the beginning readers in this study.…

In this article, Marilyn Chapman provides educators and others interested in early literacy with important information about phonemic awareness to help them make decisions about what to do in their schools. She begins with an explanation of phonemic awareness and how it relates to other aspects of literacy development such as phonological…

This descriptive study focuses on the understandings expressed by nine second graders about themselves as readers and looks at the direct experiences of the students in their reading groups. Findings suggest that these proficient and less proficient readers hold very different perceptions of themselves as readers and that these perceptions are…

The role of social context and the nature of human interaction provide rich resources for the study of learning and human cognition. In order to understand these elements more fully, it is important to consider the language in use within these contexts. The early intervention Reading Recovery is grounded in the belief that the conversation between…

As part of an ongoing research collaboration with university-based researchers, Nancy and her teaching partner, Meredith, implemented a loosely defined system of portfolios to supplement the other forms of assessment in their classroom. School-based and university-based researchers interviewed children to assess children's perspectives of their…

This document is designed to give support to adult education and family literacy instructors who are new to serving adult English language learners and their families in rural, urban, and faith- and community-based programs. The Toolkit is designed to have a positive impact on the teaching and learning in these programs. The results of two…