Why Marco Can Read: Becoming Literate in a Classroom Community

This article focuses on a child’s literacy experiences during one day in second grade. Marco attends an urban school of choice with a whole language philosophy. On this day in March, Marco participated in 30 literacy events involving 27 different texts including literature (fiction, non-fiction, poetry) and instrumental texts (labels, signs, charts, etc.). The social nature of literacy learning is examined by exploring the relationship between Marco’s literacy experiences and his literacy development. Marco, one of the less proficient readers in his class, is profoundly influenced by opportunities to observe and interact with other readers and writers. Marco makes meaning and learns language as he participates in classroom literacy events.