As theories about identity have shifted over time to viewing it as a multidimensional and ever-evolving process created by social and cultural settings, conceptions of literacy and implications for classroom practices have shifted as well. This book presents studies of students in Grades 3 to 6 at three different United States school sites located in New York City and Texas where teachers implemented writing workshop and literature-based instruction. The studies in the book include examples and vignettes of real-life teachers and students who interacted in complex ways that were informed by their social and cultural influences. In the book's studies, readers can see how students' classroom participation was influenced not only by race, class, and gender, but also by classroom tasks presented to them. The book explores how students, both successfully and unsuccessfully, appropriated, resisted, or transformed the classroom norms and expectations. By providing information about the contexts in which students read and wrote, the book demonstrates the power of the teacher-student relationship, the importance of the classroom curriculum, and the influence of parents and peers on students. Contains an extensive list of references and children's literature references. (NKA)