Language Arts, Vol. 85, No. 6, July 2008

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Inquiries and Insights

• Call for Manuscripts

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Elementary

• Thoughts from the Editors: Exploring Tensions in Language Arts Education

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Elementary

• Found in Translation: Connecting Translating Experiences to Academic Writing

  Ramón Antonio Martínez, Marjorie Faulstich Orellana, Mariana Pacheco, and Paula Carbone

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  Abstract: This article reports on a study that we conducted in a sixth-grade Language Arts classroom. We worked with a first-year teacher to develop curricular activities that leveraged her students’ translating experiences to develop academic writing skills. Our goal was to help students recognize that their ability to shift voices when translating in everyday contexts could also be applied to writing for different audiences.

  Keywords: Middle, Diversity, Language, School-Community Relation

• Learning to Read the Numbers: A Critical Orientation toward Statistics

  Whitin & Whitin

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  Abstract: Being a critical reader of data is an integral part of being fully literate in today’s information age. In this article the authors underscore the interdisciplinary importance of this stance by drawing upon theoretical perspectives from both the fields of language and mathematics. They argue that all texts, including statistical ones, must be interrogated for their biases and limitations.

  Keywords: Elementary, Literacy, Pedagogy, School-Community Relation

• Literacy Inquiry and Pedagogy through a Photographic Lens

  Cappello & Hollingsworth

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  Abstract: This paper explores the potential of photography for teaching, learning, and studying literacy in elementary school classrooms. We examine the ways shifting between communication systems (photography, oral language and writing) impacts students' ability to problem solve and create rich texts. Specifically, we explore the roles photography plays in mediating and representing meaning. We found that photography can be used as an effective tool for inquiry in education – and for the pedagogy of writing instruction.

  Keywords: Elementary, Literacy, Media Studies / Journalism, Pedagogy, Technology, Writing

• Research Directions: Revisiting cognitive strategy instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms: Cautions and Possibilities

  Lara J. Handsfield and Robert T. Jiménez

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  Abstract: In this paper, the authors raise concerns regarding the use of cognitive strategy instruction (CSI) in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) classrooms. The authors recognize the potential benefits afforded by CSI. At the same time, they argue that counter to the intentions of those who have developed CSI, it may be implemented in ways that exacerbate current standardizing and skills-based instructional trends in literacy instruction.

  Keywords: Assessment, Pedagogy, Research

• Profiles and Perspectives: Art, Biography, and Collaboration: Creating Books for Children about Art and Artists

  Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

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  Abstract: The authors reflect on their process for writing biographies for children about artists and their artwork. They describe the ways they meet the challenge of pulling the reader into the experience of a piece using the language of art. Specifically, they discuss their recent book about the lives and art of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which focuses on the 2005 installation The Gates in New York City’s Central Park.

  Keywords: Literature, Media Studies / Journalism, School-Community Relation, Writing

• Professional Book Reviews: Cultivating Academic Literacy in Critical and Culturally Responsive Ways

  James S. Damico, Stephanie Power Carter, Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz, and Gerald Campano

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  Abstract: We began with this guiding question: which professional resources focus on academic literacy development in critical and culturally responsive ways? We selected 4 books: Reading Lives: Working-class Children and Literacy Learning (Hicks), African American Literacies (Richardson), Widening the Circle: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy for American Indian Children (Klug & Whitfield), and Multicultural Strategies for Educational Change: Carriers of the Torch in the United States and Africa (Ball).

• Children’s Literature Reviews: Poetry Notables for 2007

  Ralph Fletcher, Kathleen Armstrong, Georgia Heard, Jonda C. McNair, Gail Wesson-Spivey, Barbara Ward, and Janet S. Wong

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  Abstract: The NCTE Committee for Excellence in Poetry has as our main charge the task of awarding the award for the person who has made a major contribution to poetry for children. The last recipient was Nikki Grimes, who won the award in 2006. But the committee’s broader task is “exploring ways to acquaint teachers and children with poetry.” To that end, and mindful of the fact that most teachers feel truly time-starved, the committee members thought it would be useful to identify some of the strongest poetry books published in 2007. We read and discussed most of the poetry books that were published last year, and found many strong collections. This column is a selection of the most exceptional books we found.

  Keywords: Literature, Writing

• In Closing…: Knitting the Unfamiliar

  Sunday Cummins

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  Abstract: The wisdom the author gains from a new experience of learning to knit raises questions for her as an educator: What do I take for granted in the learning contexts within which I teach? What feels strangely unfamiliar to my students (children and adults alike)? How is what I do as a teacher, mentor, coach during this experience helpful or harmful? More important, how can I endeavor to learn with them and from them in a way that increases my awareness of what it means to learn? She continues to ponder and inquire, seeking to know and ask more questions about the unfamiliar while knitting.

  Keywords: Pedagogy, School-Community Relation, Writing

• Guest Reviewers for Volume 85

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Elementary

• Index for Volume 85

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Elementary

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