Offering practical, classroom-based strategies teachers can use to promote literacy development, this book presents many examples of children engaging in discussion activities about narrative and informational text that emphasize collaborating, constructing meaning, and using these different types of texts to arrive at new understandings. Chapters in the book are: (1) "A New View of Discussion" (Janice F. Almasi); (2) "What Research Reveals about Discussion" (Linda B. Gambrell); (3) "Discussion in Multilingual, Multicultural Classrooms" (Alfredo Schifini); (4) "Storytime Plus Dialogue Equals Interactive Read Alouds" (Shelby J. Barrentine); (5) "'But Bonsai Trees Don't Grow in Baskets': Young Children's Talk during Authentic Inquiries" (David Wray and Maureen Lewis); (6) "Trusting Students' Questions about Literature: Stories across Contexts" (Michelle Commeyras and others); (7) "Idea Circles: Peer Collaborations for Conceptual Learning" (John T. Guthrie and Ann D. McCann); (8) "Promoting Inquiry-Oriented Discussions Using Multiple Texts" (Douglas K. Hartman and Jeanette Allison); (9) "Text Talk: Using Discussion to Promote Comprehension of Informational Texts" (Susan Anders Mazzoni and Linda B. Gambrell); (10) "Transforming Grand Conversations into Grand Creations: Using Different Types of Text to Influence Student Discussion" (Dorothy J. Leal); (11) "Pathways to Meaning Making: Fostering Intertextuality in the Classroom" (Trevor H. Cairney); (12) "Creating a Response-Centered Curriculum with Literature Discussion Groups" (Mary Ellen Vogt); (13) "Response-Centered Talk: Windows on Children's Thinking" (Lea M. McGee); (14) "Planning, Initiating, and Sustaining Literature Discussion Groups: The Teacher's Role" (B. Joyce Wiencek); (15) "Guiding Student-Led Discussion Groups" (Susan I. McMahon); (16) "Discussion: Assessing What Was Said and What Was Done" (Jane Brady Matanzo); (17) "Story Retelling: A Discussion Strategy to Develop and Assess Comprehension" (Lesley Ma