This volume presents an introspective study of writing pedagogy, explored through the lens of theatre and performance. The chapters explore assessment and issues related to student engagement, in both in-person and online learning spaces, and consider aspects such as class design, environment, activities, and curriculum. The authors draw on…

The classroom environment is uppermost in teachers' minds at the start of each school year. Designing an effective classroom environment for learning to read and reading is both an art and a science. Aligning physical space with instructional goals involves the flexible use of space that is adapted to instructional needs. A well-designed classroom…

This section articulates classroom design as a technology. However, by technology I do not simply mean the ways in which technology is used in the writing classroom, but that the classroom space itself functions as a technology. Like Katherine Fredlund and Vanessa Cozza, I too will be discussing the design of the classroom; however, unlike them I…

Discusses ways to create a classroom environment that encourages students to test the power of their language through reading and writing experiences. Describes a writing lesson in a writer-centered classroom, what a writing classroom looks like, and what teachers should do first in terms of the physical setup of the classroom. (SR)

Describes how Head Start teachers can support children's emergent literacy by improving their classroom environment. Includes suggestions for designing the floor plan, enriching the print environment within each learning center, and making the literacy center the classroom's focal point. (KB)

The use of computers in the writing classroom changes the actual activities used in class, adapting some present activities and creating new paradigm activities, and also changes the arrangement of the classroom, forcing a radical rethinking of spatial design. The computer classroom is not a passive room, one where information goes out from the…

Focusing on writing as a language process, this booklet describes a framework for writing instruction that has as a major consideration the totality of language. The first section discusses writing as a language process, emphasizing that as children learn to write, they can also learn to listen, speak, and read. The second section focuses on the…

Suggests ways to provide special spaces and materials in early childhood classrooms that promote literacy development, including classroom library centers, writing centers, and content area centers. (MM)

Collaboration between a supervisor and a teacher of nine first and second graders with hearing loss is recounted. Discussion includes reconsideration of classroom setup, expansion of the reading program to include more guided reading, documentation of student progress, more guided writing, and more shared decision making. (DB)

Emphasizing the importance of developing a social classroom climate, this book addresses the organization of the reading/writing classroom. Nine sections: (1) present a statement of principles based on this concept of classroom organization (J. Steinle); (2) discuss scheduling the school day as an important area of teacher planning (P. Sloan and…

Theorizes the spatial dynamics of both traditional and Internet-networked classrooms to reveal that both exhibit indeterminate spatial characteristics, but that network connectivity renders this indeterminacy visible. Argues that networked classrooms need not be disorienting, if students recreate a center by designing a class Web site, creating…

As a result of preliminary observations of word processing in elementary level language the seven case studies presented in this report reveal the effectiveness of current word processing (WP) activities within their respective instructional contexts. Each study is presented separately, detailing the classroom context, tasks and outcomes, program…

This book presents a step-by-step guide to creating a smoothly functioning, literacy-rich first-grade classroom. It helps teachers do such things as bond with their new classes, create happy and cohesive environments, develop students' organizational skills and self-control, keep students motivated, integrate children's literature and the arts…

This training manual was designed to provide information and support to Head Start teachers, staff, and parents in the area of emergent literacy. The first section, "What is Emergent Literacy and Why Should We Do It?" addresses the concept of emergent literacy, identifying six key elements: (1) learning to read and write begins very…