Talking Points, Vol. 15, No. 2, May 2004

Table of Contents

Issue Theme: Personalizing Literacy

• From the Editors - Talking Points - April/May 2004

  Peggy Albers and Allen Koshewa

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  Abstract: The editors discuss the theme of this issue, “Personalizing Literacy,” and reflect on the issues they have published during their three-year editorship.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• Interview with Donald Graves

  Peggy Albers and Allen Koshewa

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  Abstract: The editors interview Donald Graves, who has inspired countless teachers through his books about learning, especially writing. The focus of the interview is on the personal experiences that have shaped Graves’s understanding of literacy.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• Connecting Students to Culturally Relevant Texts

  Yvonne Freeman and David Freeman

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  Abstract: Yvonne Freeman and David Freeman argue the importance of providing students with culturally relevant books and discuss their criteria for deciding if a book is culturally relevant to a particular child.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• The Transformative Power of Teachers and Literature

  Francisco Jiménez

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  Abstract: Francisco Jiménez, an award-winning author who began his life in the United States as a migrant farm worker, recounts two childhood experiences with teachers who helped shape his attitude toward literature and motivated him to become a teacher and a riter. Article available in print version only.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• The Writing's on the Wall: Musings from Childhood

  Jane Baskwill

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  Abstract: In this short essay, Jane Baskwill shares how her preschool writing experiences shaped her literacy development.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• Re-presenting Memories to Preserve a Legacy

  Joanne Robertson

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  Abstract: The author shows how her mother managed to connect with her students, many of them immigrants, in a tiny schoolhouse over fifty years ago. Her testimonial bears witness to the deeply personal nature of teaching and learning.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• The Weight of Words

  Rosanne Rabinowitz

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  Abstract: The author writes about the importance of words, especially as they relate to culture, as she reflects on memories of her immigrant mother.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• Personalizing Literacy: Listening to Voices of Experience

  Elizabeth Quintero

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  Abstract: After recounting some stories of her own literacy development, the author provides a lens through which teachers might personalize literacy with a problem-posing approach to learning. This method leads students of all ages to base new learning on personal experience in a way that encourages critical reflection.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• Literacies for All Summer Institute: Talking with the Keynote Speakers, Stephen Krashen and Danling Fu

  Peggy Albers and Allen Koshewa

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  Abstract: Abstract for this article is currently not available.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

• WLU Business

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  Abstract: The president of WLU, Amy Seely Flint, updates readers on what’s happening within the Whole Language Umbrella.

  Keywords: Elementary, Middle, Secondary

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