ABSTRACT

Now in its fourth edition, The Literate Classroom combines a range of refreshing and challenging viewpoints from experienced classroom practitioners in order to offer practical and effective approaches to teaching reading and writing to primary students. Over the last few years, how teachers talk with children about their learning has been missing from much of the documentation going into school, but with essential information and advice, this book highlights the importance of speaking and listening in literacy learning and recognises the powerful links between reading, writing and dialogic talk.

This fully updated edition includes:

  • shared and guided reading and writing
  • comprehension through response to children’s literature
  • guidance on literacy teaching with ELL pupils
  • new chapters on digital literacy, drama for literacy, talk for spelling and poetry.

The Literate Classroom describes how the theory behind key areas of literacy teaching can be transformed into realistic learning experiences within the classroom. An accessible and informative collection, this book is a must-have for any teachers of literacy in the primary sector.

chapter |13 pages

The literate classroom

An introduction

part I|33 pages

Starting points for literacy

chapter 1|10 pages

Making space for reading

Teaching reading in the early years

chapter 3|12 pages

Young children becoming writers

part II|51 pages

‘The sea of talk’

chapter 5|11 pages

Talk in guided reading sessions

chapter 7|9 pages

Opening the wardrobe of voices

Exploring standard English and language variety with 9–10-year-olds

chapter 8|13 pages

Language and literacy for children who are English language learners (ELLs)

Developing linguistically responsive teachers

part III|74 pages

Becoming readers and writers

chapter 9|11 pages

Readers making meaning

Responding to narrative

chapter 10|9 pages

Reading the pictures

Children’s responses to Rose Blanche

chapter 11|8 pages

A sense of time and place

Literature in the wider curriculum

chapter 14|10 pages

Talk for spelling

part IV|28 pages

Engaging the imagination

chapter 16|8 pages

The magic must not vanish

Traditional tales in the classroom

chapter 17|8 pages

Drama

Enriching learning in the literate classroom