Language Arts - Volume 79, Issue 4, 2002

In too many schools Diego would have been placed in a restrictive special education setting, but as part of the Ole Project, the resource-room support he received was based on a carefully organized framework of linguistic and cultural factors that resulted in 3.4 years of reading growth during 1.5 years of study as a 4th/5th grader.

Considers how children can develop personal, social, and cultural connections through photography and narratives in order to envision other possibilities for their lives. Concludes that they found a “web of complex and engaging social relationships” that provided a solid foundation for learning with children and families. Describes the PhOLKS (Photograph of Local Knowledge Sources) project.

Notes that researching life stories can shape students’ sense of direction and purpose both within and beyond the classroom. Considers how the value of researching life stories increases as students move beyond the personal to the cross-generational significance of what they are investigating. Lists 32 picture books and information books on Hmong and Hmong Americans.

Describes a “dialogic” (Bakhtin, 1981) writing workshop that is responsive to the social priorities of children and that reconsiders dilemmas within an alternative framework. Notes that the experiences and tests of two writers in third grade highlight the way identity and sense of self can be developed and explored in a writing community that emphasizes collaboration and fiction writing.

Compiled by the Committee for Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, this annotated list of 30 exemplary titles—diverse in genre, content, and style—are notable for their potential to enhance language awareness for K-8 children.

The findings of the NAEP 1998 Writing Report Card are clear: students experienced with writing more than one draft of a paper, and students whose writing was saved in folders or portfolios, achieved higher average scores than their peers who did not write multiple drafts or save their writing. Who are the key educators who contributed to a century-long professional history in the development of writing theory and pedagogy? Read about some of them in “Teaching Writing on the Shoulders of Giants,” by Julie Jenson.

Invites readers to join in a celebration of the stories that are a continuous part of the author’s life. Tells about her experiences with sharing stories in many different settings and situations. Includes an 8-item annotated list of books on cross-generational story telling. Full text available in print version only.