This article draws from a year-long ethnographic study documenting the use of comics in a school. Focusing on literacy work in a social studies classroom, it documents how comics were welcomed into and challenged classroom spaces. Comics were introduced, read, and engaged with collaboratively. While comics were able to support strategic practices,…

A concern about grammar and usage instruction is the ineffectiveness of the frequently-used practice of worksheets and out-of-context application. In light of recent findings that applied grammar instruction can improve students' writing, a need for research on increasing teachers' pedagogical knowledge in this area is indicated. This case study…

There is considerable concern regarding our nation's literacy skills. Research has repeatedly shown that the literacy trajectory is well established very early in the school career. Early childhood educators (ECEs) have the ability to influence a child's literacy skills provided they have the required knowledge and tools. Professional development…

In many states, writing is tested only in selected grades causing writing instruction often to be over-emphasized some years and neglected in others. The present study examines how students' motivation for writing differs during the middle school years. We administered the "Self-Beliefs, Writing Beliefs, and Attitude Survey" (SWAS) to a…

Listening comprehension (LC) is considered an important but complex skill that predicts later reading comprehension in various languages. In this study, we aimed at understanding the relationship of LC with different linguistic and cognitive components. For this purpose, 262 Arabic-speaking kindergartners participated in this study. Our regression…

The population of emerging bilinguals (EBs) is rapidly growing across the United States leaving many teachers wondering how best to teach these students to read and write effectively in English. Concurrently, and as a result of the Common Core State Standards, elementary school students are required to produce more sophisticated writing than ever…

The authors examine the influence of a course focused on literacy and data in a field-based teacher preparation program on teacher candidate preparedness to teach literacy. This course is taken by Birth to grade 12 candidates during their third year in the program and places them in local schools eight hours per week for twelve weeks. Our findings…

Children of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers (MSFWs) in the United States face educational challenges from language barriers and disjointed schooling due to migration and other factors. This quasi-experimental pretest/posttest study investigated whether summer Migrant Education Programs (MEP) could help prevent summer learning loss in English…

The What's Hot in 2019 survey was conducted to measure the amount of attention currently being given to literacy topics in research and practice. Twenty-five literacy leaders were surveyed; results were subsequently categorized into three levels: a) extremely hot or cold, b) very hot or cold, or c) hot or cold This year, there were four topics…

We examined how infusing an inquiry-based Disciplinary Literacy Project (DLP) into a graduate literacy education class influenced elementary teachers' knowledge about disciplinary literacies and how this knowledge influenced their instructional practices. Through the DLP, teachers in this study developed an awareness of the nuances of the literate…

This article follows the development of three then-adolescent male Emirati high schoolers and their literacy journeys through their engagement in various on- and offline affinity spaces. Their stories illustrate how Emirati youth assume identities and manipulate pop culture within these spaces. Underpinned by conceptualization of affinity spaces,…

This study used open coding to analyze 662 idea-units that 44 preservice teachers expressed about successes and challenges related to technology integration in literacy lessons in a reading methods class. Data sources included reading responses, self-reflections on videos of their lessons, and Collaborative Peer Video Analysis. Eleven categories…

The following article explores the "hot topics" in literacy for 2018, keeping the tradition of the "What's hot in literacy" survey that was first published in 1997. Expert panelists from around the globe provided insight into current trends and issues in the field of literacy, resulting in digital and disciplinary literacies…

Literacy coaching has become a prevalent model of professional development (PD) that embodies the characteristics of high-quality teacher learning. At the same time, many literacy coaches have experienced the practice as fraught with tensions, both for coaches and teachers. This paper focuses on the relational dynamics in literacy coaching,…

This article explores how a second-grade teacher challenged and supported students of varying language and literacy abilities to engage with complex material during a 14-week read-aloud unit focused on historical change-makers, and how engagement and comprehension through talk and writing changed for five purposefully selected students.…