Collaborative Center for Literacy Development

Since the seminal book Language Stories and Literacy Lessons (Harste, Woodward, & Burke) appeared in 1984, a substantial body of educational research has documented young childrens playful explorations and transactions with texts, that is, their interpretations, approximations, and appropriations of print and nonprint messages in the world around them. Examples from one focal kindergarten classroom in a three-year study conducted in early childhood classrooms illustrate how young children emphasize or combine particular modes to strategically amplify their intended meanings as they play: 1 to try out social practices, 2 to explore the multimodal potential of material resources, and 3 to construct spaces for peer cultore within classrooms.