Literacy Now

Science is noticing and questioning, seeking and creating. “Doing science” means exploring the world around us to understand what’s here and why it matters to us, seeking to comprehend what came before us so we know ourselves better, and imagining what might make the future even better—then working to get there. Each of the books in this list highlights the people and processes of science:  up close, intimate, intriguing, and—most important—inspiring!

What’s in our world, and why does it matter to us?

Rusch, Elizabeth. (2013). Eruption: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives. Illus. by Tom Uhlman.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (geology; grades 4 and up)

Nevada del Ruiz in what is now Colombia erupted violently in 1595, killing 630 members of a native tribe living nearby. It waited 250 years to erupt again, this time burying an entire village in volcanic mud. In 1985, 139 years after the last eruption, the sleeping volcano awoke once again, killing 23,000 people in the town of Amero. A year after this tragedy, a small group of volcanologists determined to prevent such tragedies banded together to form the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, the “first and only international volcano crisis team.” Their mission? To bring their expertise and the latest technology to threatened communities in an attempt to predict eruptions and save lives. The VDAP team races around the globe to respond to immediate threat, but with more than 1,500 active volcanoes, they can only do so much. That’s where Volcano Training Camp comes in. Volcanologist from around the world come to train at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Washington State, where scientists pass on what they learned from the Mt. Saint Helens eruption in 1980. Visiting scientists take what they learn at camp back to protect their own communities. Striking photos and well-placed, informative charts and maps illuminate the scope and power of volcanic activity. Geology content is shared in a context that makes it relevant and will generate interest in further inquiry. Like the other books in this collection, Eruption makes it clear why science matters to us.

- Suzii Christian Parsons, Oklahoma State University

Heos, Bridget. (2013). Stronger than Steel: Spider silk DNA and the Quest for Better Bulletproof Vests, Sutures, and Parachute Rope. Illus. by Andy Comins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (chemistry and biology; grades 5 and up)

Anyone who has walked through a web is aware of the tenacity of spider silk. But did you know that it is one of the strongest materials on Earth? The scientific team featured in Stronger Than Steel is working to find ways to produce spider silk in amounts substantial enough for creating super-strong products for human use. Possible uses range from medical (super-strong and delicate sutures, artificial ligaments and tendons) to military (parachute rope, wires to stop planes on aircraft carriers, even body armor). The most likely candidates for producing the silk? Transgenic goats (a spider gene has been introduced to their genetic make-up) that produce spider silk protein in their milk, alfalfa crops that have also been “infected” with spider silk genes, and silkworms that have had their natural production boosted the same way. Heos takes on heavy subject matter in this book, explaining DNA and the processes of genetic alteration with clear explanations and comparisons to common experiences. A strong focus on the day-to-day lives of the scientists working on this project makes the topic feel even more accessible. Stronger Than Steel takes a generally positive stance to genetic engineering, but Heos does address controversies and concerns, providing readers of all ages plenty to ponder.

- Suzii Christian Parsons, Oklahoma State University

What came before us, and what can that tell us about ourselves?

Deem, James. (2012). Faces from the Past: The Forgotten People of North America. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.(chemistry and biology; grades 7 and up)

In Faces from the Past, Deem details how archeologists use the combined powers of chemistry, biology, history, and art to learn about those who lived before us. The book includes nine case studies of forgotten people rediscovered, beginning with “the man from Spirit Cave,” whose remains were first discovered in 1940 and 50 years later were determined to be more than 10,000 years old. Others whose lives were brought to light long after their deaths include ancestors of the Monocan Indians of Virginia, a French sailor from LaSalle’s failed expedition to the New World, a Mexican solider who died at the Battle of San Jacinto, and a Buffalo Soldier who died of cholera while serving at Fort Craig in New Mexico. Discoveries near Albany, New York, echo a theme of “the forgotten poor”—a servant woman whose remains were found during excavation for street improvement, slaves whose burial places were undocumented, and residents of an almshouse—infants to elderly—buried in a cemetery discovered again through construction. Each case study can stand alone for individual reading, but together they highlight the delicate dance between scientific exploration and social concerns. The text is clear, direct, and engaging, replete with photographs of archeological work and supporting artifacts, plus sidebars that often provide more insight into the human stories.

- Suzii Christian Parsons, Oklahoma State University

What’s out there?

Rusch, Elizabeth. (2012). The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. (astronomy, geology, physics; grades 4 and up).

Rusch details the story of Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, from inception to design and construction, then through launch, landing, and, incredibly, more than six years of Red Planet exploration. Told largely through the eyes and words of Steve Spires, whose childhood wonderings eventually sparked and fueled this history-making foray onto the surface of Mars, the book reads with an intimacy that emphasizes the passion, tension, and sheer drama of space exploration. The dual roles of inspiration and perspiration take center stage here as readers walk with the rover developers through years of trial and error, failure and ultimate success. Breathtaking photos of the planet surface are paired with pictures of the team at work. Captions clearly explain photos or highlight quotes that give voice to the scientific process.  Even if you know the outcome before you begin, this book provides a “nail biter” experience that may actually elicit groans and cheers; it did for me and my young “test readers.”

- Suzii Christian Parsons, Oklahoma State University

How can I be a scientist?

Burns, Loree Griffin. (2012). Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard. Photos by Ellen Harasimonwicz.Henry Holt and Company/Square Fish. (biology, environmental science; grades 2 and up)

Burns begins with a definition: “A citizen is any resident of our world….Science is a systematic study of our world.…Citizen science, then, is the study of our world by the people who live in it.” That would be every reader, of course, and this book is really an invitation to join the community of scientists—complete with directions for how to get to the party. Burns devotes a chapter each to four ongoing, large-scale scientific studies that rely on everyday citizens to collect and report data. Readers learn how to catch and tag monarch butterflies in the fall to help scientists understand migration patterns and the effects of changing environmental conditions. They are enticed to don hats, coats, and gloves to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, the oldest bird monitoring project in the U.S., which has produced and continues to produce mountains of data to help us understand our constantly changing world. After that, they can study frog calls from a CD in order to participate in spring frogging, listening for different calls and reporting which frogs (indicator species that tell us a lot about the health of our planet) are still hopping healthily in their area. In the summer it’s time for ladybugging—sweeping fields with nets to capture and identify ladybug species and reporting findings to the Lost Ladybug Project, a study that seeks to determine which species are thriving where. This is a “can do” book. Engaging descriptions of the projects are paired with accessible resources to effectively connect young readers with the science in their backyards and the scientists within themselves.

- Suzii Christian Parsons, Oklahoma State University

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. The International Reading Association partners with the National Council of Teachers of English and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K–12.

In the not-so-distant past, teachers knew exactly what jobs they were preparing their students for. There were a limited number of careers available for graduating students, and the reading, writing, and numeracy we taught in schools prepared those students for all of these possible positions. We knew what the jobs would be, so we knew what skills our students would need.

This is no longer the case. The explosion of job positions that did not exist ten or twenty years ago bears witness to the fact that our society is rapidly changing. Journalism and book publishing are two formerly secure job prospects that are now undergoing massive changes. It is possible that neither of these careers will continue to exist in the form we now know. Given all these changes, we are now preparing students for a future we cannot predict and jobs that may not yet exist. What’s a teacher to do?

The future has already begun in my first grade classroom. As my students are becoming literate, they are also learning skills that will certainly be important in their future. I am not referring to the skills of reading and writing. Those are, of course, necessary, and they are the focus of every first grade classroom. What I am referring to are job or life skills that will serve a child well no matter what career path he or she chooses.

Working Together

The days of having your students work individually in rows of desks have passed. That was a great model when the future for many students was working in a factory where they would spend their days sitting quietly in those same rows. None of my students will be doing that in their future. Those jobs no longer exist here. Instead, employers now require workers who can effectively work through problems in groups and come up with solutions. Human resources directors are looking for people who can think. I want my students to learn how to collaborate and to work with and learn from their classmates, not only because this is good pedagogy, but because this is a career skill they will need.

When my students help to peer edit their classmates’ writing, they are learning how to evaluate the work of another and how to give support and constructive criticism in a socially acceptable way. When they buddy read, they are learning to take turns while working on a shared goal. When we do a turn and talk they are learning to communicate their own ideas in small groups and to listen to the ideas of someone else. These are all important skills to have when working with others.

Making Choices

Past generations often had few options for the path their lives would take and once that path was set, there were even fewer choices along the way. That is no longer the case. There are now an overwhelming number of options for a student to sift through as he looks at possible career routes. Every vocation has a wide range of options within it once a career has been chosen, and second and third careers have also become common. Choice will be part of our student’s futures. They will need to have a skillset for making these life choices. How can children learn to make good choices if their schooling never allows them to choose?

Even young children should have opportunity to make choices in their learning such as where they sit, whom they work with, how they learn and how they show that learning. They’ll make some choices that are not wise, but isn’t it better if they choose the wrong app or sit beside someone who distracts them and then are able to learn from that mistake than if later in life they are unable to choose a career for which they are well suited?

So when my six year olds are learning to read, I offer them choice. What would you like to read about? Do you prefer to read from a paper book or on an iPad? Do you like to read fiction or nonfiction? When we practice spelling words, they can practice with letter tiles, wiki stix, markers and paper, or an app on their iPads. Would they prefer to write on paper or on their blog? They won’t know unless they get to try both and then choose what works best for their individual learning.

Using Technology

Recently, a teacher told me that she thought that students should not be using technology of any kind in their classroom. (I assume she was referring to computers, tablets, and personal devices, since she clearly enjoyed the use of electricity, the telephone, and the heating system provided in her classroom.) I totally disagree. We KNOW that technology of some kind will be a huge part of our students’ futures so we need to do our best to get that technology in the hands of our students so that they can learn to use these tools as learning devices, not simply for entertainment. Something we see as a new technology is merely part of life for children. If students are interested in using any device, I want to find out how I can use that device to help my students to be literate.

In my classroom, this conviction has led to the use of the Pictochat feature of the Nintendo DS for practicing alphabet and spelling skills, to using online games to practice rhyming skills, and to using screencasting apps on iPads to explain the silent “e” rule.

Connecting

When my sister left home for school overseas, I remember my parents being very emotional. Letters took a couple of weeks to arrive and phone calls were very expensive. My own daughter is now making a similar move, but I know we will be able to remain connected. We’ll have email, Skype, Google Hangouts, Facetime... the only limitation to our connections will be the time difference.

The world has changed. With instant access to what is happening in other countries, we are part of a global community. We want our students to develop an awareness of their place in that community and how they can be part of it. It is probable that many of our students will spend at least part of their working lives connecting with people who work in the same company or field of interest in another country. Since we can now connect our classroom with other classes with just the click of a mouse, we can begin to prepare them for that future now.

When students use Skype to practice phonics skills or do reader’s theater with classes in other countries, or when they read tweets or blog posts by students who live far away, but share their interests, they are beginning to get a sense of that global community that they are a part of. They develop empathy for people they have never met face to face and begin to see the world through another’s eyes.

Even though we cannot know what the future holds for our students, we can still begin to prepare them for that future—whatever their career choice might be. I don’t teach career education in first grade, but by helping my children to develop skills they will need in the future job market, I am certainly preparing them for their career!

Kathy Cassidy is an award-winning first grade teacher whose students blog, make videos and connect with classes from around the world. Each student's blog is a digital portfolio of his or her learning from the first week of school until the last. Her first book, Connected From the Start: Global Learning in Primary Grades was published last spring. 

by Paul Morsink

Of all the instructional concepts in the experienced ELA teacher’s toolbox, one of the most important and practically useful is the Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978). Together with scaffolding and differentiated instruction, it provides the conceptual foundation for the experienced teacher’s daily labor of intellect and love—continually adjusting instruction and supports so as to maximize each individual student’s learning.

The key insight here is that it is essential to keep each student in his/her personal ZPD, tackling tasks whose level of difficulty is such that they are too hard to accomplish independently, but can be accomplished with support. Otherwise, if the work is too easy, students learn nothing new and become bored. At the other extreme, if the work is much too hard, they learn nothing and become frustrated.

In this graphical representation of the Zone of Proximal Development, tasks in the white band (between the red and the green areas) are tasks a given learner can complete with appropriate assistance.

The experienced ELA teacher is thus continually performing an intricate balancing act—and doing it as many times and in as many ways as he/she has students with different learning levels and profiles. Each student’s ZPD is slightly different or very different from her classmates’. Also, the experienced teacher knows that scaffolding must be varied: particular types of scaffolding are more and less effective for different students.

For example, an experienced teacher knows that a little just-in-time verbal coaching works well for one student (let’s call him Shane). If Shane receives this coaching, he will succeed in creating an outline for the paragraph he’s about to write, and with an outline in hand, his writing is going to be much more coherent. (Someday soon, Shane will internalize this coaching and create an outline on his own.) In another case, Lauren’s teacher knows that reading with her partner Courtney is a powerful scaffold. Lauren pays close attention to the text and follows Courtney’s lead in asking probing questions about characters’ motivations. And so on down the line.

Which brings me (together with a group of K-12 teachers with whom I’ve had the pleasure of discussing these issues) to the question we’d like to pose to this blog’s readership: How has this ZPD-centered dynamic been affected by the digital revolution we’re currently living through? Specifically, what new steps or issues does a teacher need to consider when—inspired by reading a TILE-SIG article—he/she decides to bring a new digital tool into the classroom?

(We thought this blog would be a particularly appropriate place to raise this question—given that we’ve so often had this experience of reading here about a new literacy web tool and then rushing back to our classrooms with plans to have our students use it.)

To seed what we hope will be an ongoing conversation, we’ll share four brief observations.

1. Just as each of our students has his/her individual ZPD for reading complex texts or writing expository text, so we’re finding that each of our students has his/her own individual ZPD for learning how to use a new digital tool. What is challenging for one student may not be challenging for others, and the scaffolding that is helpful for one student may differ from what is helpful for others.

2. The upshot of (1) is that, as we think about introducing our students to a new digital tool, we find ourselves having to consider a greater number of ZPDs than ever before! As well, when we introduce a new digital tool not for its own sake, but rather to support and scaffold a larger reading or writing activity, we’re looking at a situation where one ZPD (for using a tool such as CiteLighter, for instance, to conduct and annotate research online) is in a sense superimposed on another ZPD (for taking notes from sources, for example).

3. In light of (1) and (2), we find ourselves becoming more and more expert at telling apart those digital tools that appear to match up well with our general needs and preferences, as well as with the varied types of scaffolding we expect to provide to get every student “up to speed”. For example, we become more skilled at not inadvertently disadvantaging some students who happen to take longer to learn how to use a new tool because of their starting level of expertise with computers and the available scaffolds within that tool.

4. Finally: it is important to note that we are not striving to develop our students’ expertise with digital tools for the sake of learning about the tools themselves and how they work (e.g., how it’s possible, technically, to apply yellow highlighting to a webpage). Rather our goal is to scaffold their understanding about such things as taking notes and the difference between summary and paraphrase. Thus, because of these ideas, we have coined a new term: the “Digitally Enhanced ZPD” or “DE-ZPD.” What we’re looking for in the digital tools we use in our classrooms is quick evidence that they will enhance our students’ existing ZPDs—for learning how to take notes, for example, or for writing research papers. That is, we seek to capture evidence that our students’ understanding of the curriculum is facilitated, deepened, and/or accelerated. We are less excited about the reality of having to deal with the multiplication of ZPDs (as described above) that will then require us to monitor and plan for these complexities with additional scaffolds and supports. This feeling is especially acute in the case of complexities that derive from the idiosyncratic design of a particular digital tool. 

This "before" and "after" graphic depicts what teachers hope for when they introduce a new digital tool to support students' work on a particular activity to develop particular skills. The graphic depicts that, when this student started working with the tool (scenario #2), he was able to complete more tasks than before without other assistance. With appropriate assistance (and the digital tool), the student was able to complete a greater number of more challenging tasks.

Do these observations resonate to some extent with ones you are making in your classroom? We hope so. And we hope you will chime in and share your thoughts and observations—in comments to this blog and/or in conversations with colleagues in your building.

References

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Paul Morsink is a doctoral student in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology at Michigan State University, morsinkp@msu.edu.

TILE-SIG Feature: Curating and Sharing Your Toolbox of Digital Reading Supports with PLEs and PREs by Paul Morsink

TILE-SIG Feature: Exploring Teachers’ Perceptions of Digital Tools for Writing Instruction

Bullies are a part of life at any age. Bringing the topic to the forefront and leading discussions on bullying as a preventative measure is always better than dealing with a significant bullying incident after the fact. Although bullying is never going to go away, awareness can go a long to way stopping many incidents before they happen. Literature can be a strong venue to help get the topic out into the open.

Bullying is not an isolated incident but happens over time. The definition of bullying includes three parts: the bullying behavior is intended to do harm, the behavior happens repeatedly and continues over time, and there is an inherent imbalance of power. When we think of bullying we often think about name calling or beating someone up on the playground, but with the growth of the internet the scope of bullying has grown larger. We now have to worry about cyberbullying, including the posting of YouTube videos, Facebook taunts, and viral text messages. 

The following are a list of books across grade levels that address the topic of bullying without being didactic. Some are straightforward books that show the impact of face-to-face bullying, and others include the repercussions of online events.

There are a few websites that are excellent resources to find books and activities related to bullying, including choosekind.tumbler.com, www.bulliesinbooks.com, and lesson plans on www.readwritethink.org.

The Engage blog also featured a series on preventing bullying last October. Posts included: 

• In Other Words: One Author’s Personal Journey to Address & Prevent Bullying
• Bullying: Policy and Practice Meet in the Literacy Classroom
• Teaching Tips: Stand Up in Silence
• Stop Bullying the Bully Preventers
• Reading for a Bullying-Free School
• Fun Look at Our Serious Work: Stop Bullying the Bully Preventers
• 5 Questions With... Lesléa Newman (OCTOBER MOURNING)
• 5 Questions With... R.J. Palacio (WONDER)
• 5 Questions With... Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones (DEAR BULLY)

GRADES K-3

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. (2013). Bully. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

With the master craftsmanship Seeger is known for, every detail in Bully, from start to finish, tells the story of Bully the bull and his rise and fall from foe to friend. Stark black lines on the cover depict the bold outline of an angry-looking bull. The front endpapers tell his background story; young Bully is bullied by his father. Sometimes the bullied becomes the bully, as Bully diffuses his hurt feelings by hurting others. He goes through the book taunting other animal characters, growing larger and larger on each successive page he bullies others. One day they turn on him and call him “bully,” and Bully sees what he has become. His character shrinks down, barely filling the page, portraying how he has folded in upon himself. This simple-seeming picture book, with its bold lines and stark colors, shows the arc of the bull’s perspective without seeming didactic. Its simplicity makes it the perfect discussion starter for all ages.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University

Dewdney, Anna. (2013). Llama Llama and the Bully Goat. New York: Penguin.

Dewdney’s latest installment of her Llama Llama series tackles the topic of bullying without taking away from the characterization for which she is known. Even though Llama Llama has a lot of school friends, he is the target of Gilroy Goat’s teasing, which makes him feel small. Rather than going straight to a teacher, Llama Llama and his friend first try to stand up for themselves, showing the importance of standing by your friends and working together. Although this is more instructional in tone, this picture book is not overly moralistic but provides a solid base for discussion. The standard rhyming words and rich sharing of emotion make this an accessible book for the preschool age.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

Leathers, Phillippa. (2013). The Black Rabbit. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

A little rabbit enjoys frolicking outside on a sunny day, until he finds that a great black rabbit is following his every move! He runs from one hiding place to another, trying to outrun the pursuer. But when the little rabbit runs into the woods, he is confronted with another terror, a wolf! How will he survive? Readers will love knowing that the second rabbit is only his shadow, and watch to see how the size of the shadow ultimately scares away the wolf. With just enough fright to keep children on the edge of their seats, the play of light and shadow, depicted in textured watercolors, provides just enough edge for readers to follow the story and come away with a feeling of safety and friendship.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

GRADES 4-5

Starkey, Scott. (2013). The Call of the Bully: A Rodney Rathbone Novel. NY: Simon & Schuster.

Rodney was convinced he was going to have the best summer ever with his friends, until he finds out he has to go to summer camp with the class bully, Josh. Rodney feels betrayed and on edge as he waits for the bullying from Josh to start. But Josh is nothing besides fellow camper Todd Vanderdick, the true camp bully who is protected by his father’s money. When it comes down to Rodney to save the day, he and his friends pull together in one epic moment to save the camp from shutting down. Although the characters and situations are stereotypical, this is a fast-moving read for all struggling readers or fans of Starkey’s previous book.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

GRADES 6-8

Patterson, James, Tebbetts, Chris, & Park, Laura. (2013). Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill. NY: Little, Brown and Company.

The fourth book in the Middle School series shows our hero Rafe ready to tackle summer camp, until he finds out it is not summer camp but summer school camp! He immediately makes friends with his cabin mates, one of whom is brunt of the other boys teasing. Ridiculous happenings ensue, with Rafe ultimately sicking up for his friend. He learns that not everyone is always what they seem from the outside. Told with his signature humor, Patterson puts us in the shoes of Rafe and his hijinks, encouraging gross-out humor and laughter throughout.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

Lawlor, Joe. (2013). Bully.com. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Jun Li likes to fade into the background in his junior high school. He keeps his head down, is quiet, and throws himself into his studies. When he is falsely accused of being the perpetrator of a cyberbullying attack on a popular classmate, Jun either has to prove it wasn’t him or be expelled from school. Jun moves from a unknown student to one in the limelight; one who is now the target of bullying himself. As Jun and his friend work to solve the mystery of the true person behind the cyberbullying attack, they uncover the motivations of why people bully and how bullying may be a protective mechanism in and of itself.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

Britt, Fanny. (2013). Jane, the Fox, and Me. Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. Translated by Christine Morelli and Susan Ouriou. Groundwood Books.

Originally published in France, Jane, the Fox, and Me is a graphic novel that tells the story of Hélène, a girl who is now ostracized and picked on by her former friends now that she is overweight and has a body odor problem. She finds solace in her favorite book Jane Eyre until the day the bullying goes too far. Hélène begins to believe that what the other girls say about her is true and she sinks into a depression until a new girl moves to town and they begin to form a friendship. The detailed lines of the graphic novel add depth to words and together show a powerful picture of cruelty, friendship, redemption, and learning to believe in oneself.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

GRADES 9-12

Medina, Meg. (2013). Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

Piddy Sanchez was a strong student with a bright future until the day someone tells her that the roughest girl in school, Yaqui Delgado, thinks she is stuck up and threatens to beat her up. Piddy finds out that Yaqui doesn't think she is Latina enough, so Piddy becomes the target of vicious verbal and physical threats and it takes over her life. She stops going to school and begins to live in constant fear. After a particularly horrifying episode that was posted on YouTube, Piddy enlists the help of adults as her horror unfolds, but sometimes support simply isn’t enough. Medina’s writing is honest and compelling and pulls us into Piddy’s world as she tackles issues of body image, ethnic and racial identity, safety, and violence. The topics tackled in this book could have lent themselves to the problem novel genre, but Medina was able to tackle serious issues in a sensitive and compelling way.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

Hubbard, Jennifer. (2013). Until it Hurts to Stop. New York: Penguin.

Throughout middle school, Maggie was bullied mercilessly by her schoolmates and was at the bottom of the school social order. She grew to accept the taunts, that she is pathetic, ugly, stupid, and unworthy of true friendship. Now Maggie is a junior in high school, and although her primary tormentor had moved away years ago, she is always prepared for another attack. The only time she feels safe is when she is out hiking with her best friend Nick, but lately, Maggie has been developing feelings for him. How can she expect him to ever love her if she doesn’t love herself? This novel is powerfully written, and the Maggie’s words haunt the mind. The reader walks in Maggie’s shoes and experiences the fear, heartbreak, and hope as Maggie progresses through the story.

- Melanie Koss, Northern Illinois University 

These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online. The International Reading Association partners with the National Council of Teachers of English and Verizon Thinkfinity to produce ReadWriteThink.org, a website devoted to providing literacy instruction and interactive resources for grades K–12.

by Beverly Derewianka
University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
September 12, 2013

A generation ago Bernstein (1971) suggested that much educational failure is primarily linguistic failure. Do the educational challenges facing our students result largely from lack of control over the language of schooling? If we agree that access to curriculum-specific language resources is critical to academic achievement, then what are the implications for curriculum and pedagogy?

In many countries we have seen an increasing emphasis on the explicit teaching of knowledge about language (metalinguistic knowledge) in school classrooms. In Australia, for instance, the new Australian Curriculum: English places at its core ‘a coherent, dynamic, and evolving body of knowledge about the English language and how it works’ (ACARA, 2009: 6).  Similarly, in England knowledge about language was reintroduced as part of the National Curriculum for English (NCE) in 1989 and its significance has been repeatedly reinforced ever since. In the United States, the Common Core State Standards make it clear that an explicit knowledge about language contributes to college and career readiness:

These initiatives assume the importance of metalinguistic understanding for the development of literacy. While some early studies (e.g., Hillocks, 1986) concluded that there is little or no positive benefit on students’ literacy from the teaching of conventional grammar (Andrews et al, 2004), decades later there have been significant advances in our appreciation of what is meant by metalinguistic knowledge, in the development of a more relevant, contemporary, functionally-oriented theory of language, and in our understanding of more dialogic, engaging pedagogies.

There is recent evidence of the beneficial effects of increased knowledge about language on students’ literacy outcomes from primarily qualitative studies.

In the UK, Myhill (2011a, 2011b), for example, found an improvement of 20% over a year in the writing of secondary students who had been involved in a programme with a contexualised language focus. In the US, researchers are providing evidence of the value of explicit teaching about language from a functional perspective (e.g. Enright, 2013; Fang & Schleppegrell, 2010). Achugar, Schleppegrell & Oteiza (2007), for example, report that students whose teachers participated in a major project on the language of History made significantly greater gains on the state exams than students whose teachers had not participated, and ELLs were among those who showed greatest benefits.

Similarly, data from a study in Massachusetts indicate that SFL-based pedagogy supported emergent ELL writers in analyzing and producing more coherent texts reflective of written as opposed to oral discourse, with fourth graders analyzing the genre and register features in Puerto Rican children’s literature to create their own narratives and fifth graders researching the benefits of recreation to make an argument for reinstating recess in letters to their principal (Gebhard & Martin 2010).

And in Australia, numerous studies over the years have reported that even very young students are able to effectively deploy a shared metalanguage to explore, appreciate, interpret and evaluate the language resources found in a range of genres and to apply those understandings in their own writing (e.g. Williams 2004, 2005). 

What all of these studies have in common is a view of language as a resource for making meaning rather than simply a set of rules. Knowledge about language is taught in the context of substantial curriculum content, with a focus on those language features that are relevant to the particular task. Such knowledge is built up incrementally over time through explicit instruction as students engage in curriculum activities. The metalanguage operates at the level of the whole text through to the paragraph, the sentence, the phrase and the word, emphasizing the function that language plays at each of these levels and the interconnections between each level. The teacher’s role is seen as constantly expanding the students’ repertoire of choices in a classroom climate that fosters exploration, experimentation, discussion, choice and decision-making.

Reader response is welcomed. Email your comments to LRP@/