Winner of the prestigious UK Literacy Association Academic Book Award for 2015 in its original edition, this fully revised edition of Learning to be Literate uniquely analyses research into literacy from the 1960s through to 2015 with some surprising conclusions. Margaret Clark explores the argument that young children growing up in a literate environment are forming hypotheses about the print around them, including environmental print, television, computer games and mobile phones. In a class where no child can yet read there is a wide range of understanding with regards to concepts of print and the critical features of written language. While to any literate adult, the relationship between spoken and written language may be obvious, young children have to be helped to discover it. This persuasive argument demonstrates the value of research in order to make informed policy decisions about children’s literacy development. Accessible and succinct, Professor Clark’s writing brings into sharp focus the processes involved in becoming literate. The effect on practice of many recent government policies she claims run counter to these insights. The key five thematic sections are backed up with case studies throughout and include: Insights from Literacy Research: 1960s to 1980s Young Literacy Learners: how we can help them Curriculum Developments and Literacy Policies, 1988 to 1997: a comparison between England and Scotland Synthetic Phonics and Literacy Learning: government policy in England 2006 to 2015 Interpretations of Literacy in the Twenty-first Century

Through their focus on children who were successfully learning to read and write despite extraordinary economic hardship, this multiracial team presents new images of the strengths of the family as educator.

When our students enter middle and high school, the saying goes that they stop learning to read and start reading to learn. Then why is literacy still a struggle for so many of our students? The reality is that elementary school isn’t designed to prepare students for Othello and Song of Solomon: so what do we do? Love and Literacy steps into the classrooms of extraordinary teachers who have guided students to the highest levels of literacy. There is magic in their teaching, but that magic is replicable. It starts with a simple premise: kids fall in love with texts when they understand them, and that understanding comes from the right knowledge and/or the right strategy at the right time. Love and Literacy dissects the moves of successful teachers and schools and leaves you with the tools to make these your own: Research-based best practices in facilitating discourse, building curriculum, guiding student comprehension and analysis, creating a class culture where literacy thrives, and more Video clips of middle and high school teachers implementing these practices An online, print-ready Reading and Writing Handbook that places every tool at your fingertips to implement effectively Discussion questions for your own professional learning or book study group Great reading is more than just liking books: it’s having the knowledge, skill, and desire to experience any text in all its fullness. Love and Literacy guides you to create environments where students can build the will and wherewithal to truly fall in love with literacy.

Beginning literacy with language : young children learning at home & school.

This textbook brings together research on literacy and multilingualism from a variety of settings: the learning of English in migrant destinations, immersion and bilingual education, and the maintenance of heritage languages. Designed to be accessible to students from a wide range of disciplines, the book explores multilingualism as a global phenomenon at both the individual and societal level, and literacy learning in a wide variety of contexts. It uses both these discussions to explore the theoretical and policy issues which are behind current educational practice, and points to possible ways forward. Students are introduced to examples of innovative and best practice from a range of international contexts, and discussion points and suggested activities encourage them to build on their own experiences as language learners. This is an ideal introductory text for students on courses where a critical understanding of language in education is necessary, as well as being a useful summary of the field and its future directions for researchers, practitioners and policy makers.

How can teachers create a literacy curriculum that builds processing links between reading, writing, and spelling knowledge? In Shaping Literate Minds: Developing Self Regulated Learners , Linda J. Dorn and Carla Soffos illustrate how processing theory can be applied to the everyday practices of classroom teaching. If instruction emphasizes the interrelationships of these three language areas, students learn how to transfer knowledge, skills, and strategies across literacy events. This is complex theory, but the authors provide clear and practical examples to support teachers as they incorporate these ideas into their classroom practices. Grounded in authentic experiences from primary classrooms, this book provides: Explanations of processing behaviors among reading, writing, and spelling knowledgeObservational tools that support teachers in noticing changes over time in specific literacy behaviorsGuidance on creating conditions for developing self-regulated learnersAuthentic reading and writing samples and teacher/student interactionsFigures and pictures that clearly describe how teachers can use assessment to inform and guide instruction, with links to national standardsDetails for establishing a school-based literacy model that includes team meetings, assessment walls, high standards, and a curriculum for literacyAppendixes with reproducible assessment checklists, report cards, task cards for literacy corners, and guided reading observation forms for team meetingsWith a national emphasis on accountability, high standards, and literacy achievement, Shaping Literate Minds will help teachers and administrators implement a high-quality literacy curriculum that links to national and state goals.

Winner of the prestigious UK Literacy Association Academic Book Award for 2015 in its original edition, this fully revised edition of Learning to be Literate uniquely analyses research into literacy from the 1960s through to 2015 with some surprising conclusions. Margaret Clark explores the argument that young children growing up in a literate environment are forming hypotheses about the print around them, including environmental print, television, computer games and mobile phones. In a class where no child can yet read there is a wide range of understanding with regards to concepts of print and the critical features of written language. While to any literate adult, the relationship between spoken and written language may be obvious, young children have to be helped to discover it. This persuasive argument demonstrates the value of research in order to make informed policy decisions about children’s literacy development. Accessible and succinct, Professor Clark’s writing brings into sharp focus the processes involved in becoming literate. The effect on practice of many recent government policies she claims run counter to these insights. The key five thematic sections are backed up with case studies throughout and include: Insights from Literacy Research: 1960s to 1980s Young Literacy Learners: how we can help them Curriculum Developments and Literacy Policies, 1988 to 1997: a comparison between England and Scotland Synthetic Phonics and Literacy Learning: government policy in England 2006 to 2015 Interpretations of Literacy in the Twenty-first Century