Language Arts - Volume 76, Issue 3, 1999

Notes only a small number of widely-circulated studies are central to the idea that teachers should specifically teach phonemic awareness skills to young children. Shows that they selectively and misleadingly cite other studies out of context to support their argument and that their statistical procedures do not support their propositions. Offers eight major criticisms of phonemic awareness research.

Observes a 9-year-old third-grade student at home and at school. Reveals the disparity between Laura’s highly contextualized knowledge of science and the school science curriculum. States that teachers do not value Laura’s strong observational and analytical proclivities and that both she and her teachers think of Laura as an academic failure.

Describes the formation of the new “California Reading Initiative” that directly ties school funding to practices such as teaching phonemic awareness and systematic, explicit phonics. Assesses its research base, and discusses problems in teaching Limited-English-Proficient students to read following its directives. Presents research that supports an approach to reading instruction consistent with effective programs for bilingual students.

Presents a series of e-mail conversations between the two authors as they debate some of the "sacred cows" of writing instruction in elementary language arts: (1) Do teachers need to be writers?; (2) Do students need to keep journals?; (3) Is writing a political act?; and (4) Do students need to publish their work?

Illustrates how studying fourth-grade students’ language-play response discourses and sharing students’ patterns of thinking with them can lead to authentic assessment that fuels learning. Discusses open activities (providing challenge, autonomy, and social collaboration) that foster language-play response. Discusses what is meant by language play.

Presents an interview with Karen Hesse, author of 12 books of fiction for young, middle, and older readers, and winner of the 1998 Newbery Award. Offers an overview of Hesse’s books, organized into picture books, transition chapter books, and novels. Presents a discussion of the themes found in her books, highlighting children’s discussion remarks.