The purpose of this study was to understand how the social and cultural practices of classroom literacy instruction afforded students opportunities to make meaning with texts. Research was conducted from a sociocultural perspective that focused on students as participants in social learning, in a context of interactive relations. This study was responsive to contemporary developments of the sociocultural tradition, recognizing the importance of emotion and other subjective means for constructing understanding. Two classes of a turnaround school, 18 Second-Grade students and 20 Third-Grade students, were observed as they participated in Interactive Read Aloud and Guided Reading over a period of nine weeks. In both classes 50% of the students were English Language Learners. All instruction was in English and was delivered in hyflex format. Classroom discourse was analyzed using sociocultural concepts, followed by microanalysis that showed communication purposes and patterns of interaction. Students were found to draw upon multiple resources in making meaning: personal subjective experience, emotion, and interactions with peers and teachers in the social context. The findings show the importance of bringing all students into the shared process of making meaning and offer a new perspective on "failing" students as active makers of meaning. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]