Discusses a group of Ojibway Indian children whose culture is in a transitional stage in terms of literacy to see what the acquisition of reading and writing means to them. (DD)

Describes how alphabet books may be used to develop children's visual and verbal literacy. (DD)

Discusses research and instances of children learning to read and or write in the home without formal instruction, tracing the development of such natural literacy. Argues that literacy is primarily a social process, involving both teaching and learning. (HTH)

Examines trends in crude and functional literacy rates and the purposes of literacy throughout American history. Discusses the implications of this history on the current and future state of literacy. (HTH)

Notes that finding time for skills instruction without replacing literature discussion and writers' workshop requires a strong organizational framework for literacy instruction. Suggests that teachers need principled, conceptual frameworks to guide their thoughts and actions. Describes a framework, Book Club Plus, designed by a practitioner…

Examines children's attraction to rhythm and rhyme of nursery rhymes and how these factors affect literacy. Discusses the connection between rhyme and reading and spelling acquisition. (HTH)

Discusses the literacy problems caused by teaching reading and writing separately and by teaching in isolation the skills required in these two processes. (HTH)

Discusses how teachers can make schools and classrooms literate environments. Presents two sets of correspondence between a teacher and her eighth grade students to show how they learned to approach reading and writing as "insiders." (HTH)

Discusses problems related to using basal readers for reading instruction. Recommends actions for local administrators and policymakers. (MG)