Based on a longitudinal study of language development, this book charts the language development of 32 British children from shortly after their first birthdays to the end of their elementary education, and explores a number of questions related to this development. Chapter 1 describes the children and their families, chapter 2 discusses the pattern of development in learning to talk, and chapter 3 focuses on the construction of language in learning to talk. Chapter 4 deals with talking to learn (purposeful, goal-directed conversation), while chapter 5 compares children's language experiences at home with those at school, and chapter 6 deals with helping children make knowledge their own, through approaching a collaborative style of learning and teaching. Chapter 7 examines the differences between children in language and in learning, chapter 8 discusses the centrality of literacy and considers the strong relationship between knowledge of literacy at age 5 and all later assessments of school achievement, chapter 9 summarizes the children's achievements at age 10, and chapter 10 discusses the importance of stories in the study. The final chapter deals with relating practice to theory. (EL)