Teaching Literacy

Engaging the Imagination of New Readers and Writers
Kieran Egan - Simon Fraser University, Canada
Teaching Literacy
April 2006 | 176 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781483361994
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Description

"A fascinating piece of writing, presenting ideas that are fresh and exciting."
-Katherine Taddie Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist
Waco Independent School District, TX  

"Focuses on enhancing students' metalinguistic awareness and not just their intuitive use of words, fostering the development of higher mental functions."
-Elena Bodrova, Senior Researcher
McREL

Bring out the fun in fundamentals of literacy!

For teachers charged with the great responsibility of helping students achieve basic literacy, delivering instruction in stimulating and engaging ways is not an ideal-it's a necessity. Recognizing this, award-winning author and educator Kieran Egan puts the fun in fundamentals of literacy by helping teachers stir students' imagination and emotions.

In Teaching Literacy, Egan rejects the notion that familiar ideas and experiences are the best vehicles for effective instruction. Instead, he champions a new approach that focuses on teaching core literacy skills using concepts ranging from fascinating to exotic to magnificent to weird. By framing the elements of literacy in the unforgettable, students more readily internalize and retain material, not only preparing them for tests, but also instilling a lifelong love of reading and writing.

This innovative resource supplies answers to the question, "But how do I do it?" by offering:

  • Tried-and-true activities from practicing classroom teachers
  • "Teachers, Try It Out" features with instructional challenges (and an appendix of possible responses) for everyday classroom practice
  • Step-by-step planning frameworks for designing and delivering engaging literacy instruction

Combining playfulness with practicality and creativity with common sense, Egan's strategies apply to beginning readers at any age, bringing about authentic, enjoyable learning experiences.

Contents

Preface

  • Two Sources of This Approach
  • Cognitive Tools in Everyday Teaching Practice
  • Literacy Learners, Young and Old(er)
  • The Cognitive Tool Kits of Language and Literacy
  • Planning Frameworks Using Cognitive Tools

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Author

Part I: The Cognitive Toolkit of Oral Language

  • 1. Using the Story Form: Meeting Objectives by Engaging Feelings
  • Stories and Feelings
  • Stories in the Classroom
  • Inventing Comic Characters
  • Personifying Elements of Language
  • Creating a Literacy Adventure
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 2. Images We Care About: Too, Two, and To
  • Images Aid Memory and Understanding
  • Tying Concepts to Images
  • From Images to Letter Representation
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 3. Binary Opposites: Goldilocks and Civil War
  • Using Opposites to Expand Upon Understanding
  • Mediating Binary Opposites
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 4. Literal and Metaphoric Talk: “Like a Spring-Woken Tree”
  • Recognizing and Reflecting on Language
  • Similes
  • Metaphors
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 5. Jokes: Drawing the Drapes
  • Joking and “Seeing” Language
  • Humor in Amelia Bedelia
  • Reading Puzzles
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 6. Rhyme and Rhythm: Mickey Mouse’s Underwear
  • Echo Rhymes
  • Rhyme and Rhythm: Ring, Rang, Rung
  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 7. Living Knowledge: Barbie and The Matrix
  • Embedding Knowledge in Students’ Lifeworlds
  • Children's Lifeworlds
  • Conclusion to Part I

Part II: The Cognitive Tool Kit of Literacy

  • 8. Extremes: The Queueing Subbookkeeper
  • The Strange, Exotic, Different, and Wonderful
  • Fascinating Reality
  • Metalinguistic Awareness
  • Exploring Extremes
  • Wonder in the Classroom
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 9. Everyday Heroes: Spiderman and the Comma
  • Heroizing Literacy Tasks
  • Heroes in the Classroom
  • Heroic Experiences
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 10. Human Contexts: John Montagu, The Earl of Sandwich
  • Knowledge in a Meaningful Context
  • Linking Language With Purpose
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 11. Collections and Hobbies: Alphabets and Beanie Babies
  • Collecting Letters and Words
  • Literacy as a Hobby
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 12. Graphic Organizers: Lists and Flowcharts
  • From the Ear to the Eye
  • Visual Tools
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • Conclusion to Part II

Part III: Planning Frameworks

  • 13. Framework 1
  • Mythic Planning Framework
  • Example: A Lesson on Homonyms
  • 14. Framework 2
  • The Romantic Planning Framework
  • Example: A Lesson on the Comma
  • The Frameworks and You
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix: Responses to the "Teachers, Try It Out" Questions by Gillian C. Judson
  • References
  • Index

Additional materials

Description

"A fascinating piece of writing, presenting ideas that are fresh and exciting."
-Katherine Taddie Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist
Waco Independent School District, TX  

"Focuses on enhancing students' metalinguistic awareness and not just their intuitive use of words, fostering the development of higher mental functions."
-Elena Bodrova, Senior Researcher
McREL

Bring out the fun in fundamentals of literacy!

For teachers charged with the great responsibility of helping students achieve basic literacy, delivering instruction in stimulating and engaging ways is not an ideal-it's a necessity. Recognizing this, award-winning author and educator Kieran Egan puts the fun in fundamentals of literacy by helping teachers stir students' imagination and emotions.

In Teaching Literacy, Egan rejects the notion that familiar ideas and experiences are the best vehicles for effective instruction. Instead, he champions a new approach that focuses on teaching core literacy skills using concepts ranging from fascinating to exotic to magnificent to weird. By framing the elements of literacy in the unforgettable, students more readily internalize and retain material, not only preparing them for tests, but also instilling a lifelong love of reading and writing.

This innovative resource supplies answers to the question, "But how do I do it?" by offering:

  • Tried-and-true activities from practicing classroom teachers
  • "Teachers, Try It Out" features with instructional challenges (and an appendix of possible responses) for everyday classroom practice
  • Step-by-step planning frameworks for designing and delivering engaging literacy instruction

Combining playfulness with practicality and creativity with common sense, Egan's strategies apply to beginning readers at any age, bringing about authentic, enjoyable learning experiences.

Contents

Preface

  • Two Sources of This Approach
  • Cognitive Tools in Everyday Teaching Practice
  • Literacy Learners, Young and Old(er)
  • The Cognitive Tool Kits of Language and Literacy
  • Planning Frameworks Using Cognitive Tools

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Author

Part I: The Cognitive Toolkit of Oral Language

  • 1. Using the Story Form: Meeting Objectives by Engaging Feelings
  • Stories and Feelings
  • Stories in the Classroom
  • Inventing Comic Characters
  • Personifying Elements of Language
  • Creating a Literacy Adventure
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 2. Images We Care About: Too, Two, and To
  • Images Aid Memory and Understanding
  • Tying Concepts to Images
  • From Images to Letter Representation
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 3. Binary Opposites: Goldilocks and Civil War
  • Using Opposites to Expand Upon Understanding
  • Mediating Binary Opposites
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 4. Literal and Metaphoric Talk: “Like a Spring-Woken Tree”
  • Recognizing and Reflecting on Language
  • Similes
  • Metaphors
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 5. Jokes: Drawing the Drapes
  • Joking and “Seeing” Language
  • Humor in Amelia Bedelia
  • Reading Puzzles
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 6. Rhyme and Rhythm: Mickey Mouse’s Underwear
  • Echo Rhymes
  • Rhyme and Rhythm: Ring, Rang, Rung
  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 7. Living Knowledge: Barbie and The Matrix
  • Embedding Knowledge in Students’ Lifeworlds
  • Children's Lifeworlds
  • Conclusion to Part I

Part II: The Cognitive Tool Kit of Literacy

  • 8. Extremes: The Queueing Subbookkeeper
  • The Strange, Exotic, Different, and Wonderful
  • Fascinating Reality
  • Metalinguistic Awareness
  • Exploring Extremes
  • Wonder in the Classroom
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 9. Everyday Heroes: Spiderman and the Comma
  • Heroizing Literacy Tasks
  • Heroes in the Classroom
  • Heroic Experiences
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 10. Human Contexts: John Montagu, The Earl of Sandwich
  • Knowledge in a Meaningful Context
  • Linking Language With Purpose
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 11. Collections and Hobbies: Alphabets and Beanie Babies
  • Collecting Letters and Words
  • Literacy as a Hobby
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 12. Graphic Organizers: Lists and Flowcharts
  • From the Ear to the Eye
  • Visual Tools
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • Conclusion to Part II

Part III: Planning Frameworks

  • 13. Framework 1
  • Mythic Planning Framework
  • Example: A Lesson on Homonyms
  • 14. Framework 2
  • The Romantic Planning Framework
  • Example: A Lesson on the Comma
  • The Frameworks and You
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix: Responses to the "Teachers, Try It Out" Questions by Gillian C. Judson
  • References
  • Index

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

Teaching Literacy

Engaging the Imagination of New Readers and Writers


April 2006 | 176 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781412927888 $37.95
Hardcover 27/02/2023 9781412927871 $79.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781483361994 $35.00

"A fascinating piece of writing, presenting ideas that are fresh and exciting."
-Katherine Taddie Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist
Waco Independent School District, TX  

"Focuses on enhancing students' metalinguistic awareness and not just their intuitive use of words, fostering the development of higher mental functions."
-Elena Bodrova, Senior Researcher
McREL

Bring out the fun in fundamentals of literacy!

For teachers charged with the great responsibility of helping students achieve basic literacy, delivering instruction in stimulating and engaging ways is not an ideal-it's a necessity. Recognizing this, award-winning author and educator Kieran Egan puts the fun in fundamentals of literacy by helping teachers stir students' imagination and emotions.

In Teaching Literacy, Egan rejects the notion that familiar ideas and experiences are the best vehicles for effective instruction. Instead, he champions a new approach that focuses on teaching core literacy skills using concepts ranging from fascinating to exotic to magnificent to weird. By framing the elements of literacy in the unforgettable, students more readily internalize and retain material, not only preparing them for tests, but also instilling a lifelong love of reading and writing.

This innovative resource supplies answers to the question, "But how do I do it?" by offering:

  • Tried-and-true activities from practicing classroom teachers
  • "Teachers, Try It Out" features with instructional challenges (and an appendix of possible responses) for everyday classroom practice
  • Step-by-step planning frameworks for designing and delivering engaging literacy instruction

Combining playfulness with practicality and creativity with common sense, Egan's strategies apply to beginning readers at any age, bringing about authentic, enjoyable learning experiences.


Table Of Contents:

  • Preface
  • Two Sources of This Approach
  • Cognitive Tools in Everyday Teaching Practice
  • Literacy Learners, Young and Old(er)
  • The Cognitive Tool Kits of Language and Literacy
  • Planning Frameworks Using Cognitive Tools
  • Acknowledgements
  • About the Author
  • Part I: The Cognitive Toolkit of Oral Language
  • 1. Using the Story Form: Meeting Objectives by Engaging Feelings
  • Stories and Feelings
  • Stories in the Classroom
  • Inventing Comic Characters
  • Personifying Elements of Language
  • Creating a Literacy Adventure
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 2. Images We Care About: Too, Two, and To
  • Images Aid Memory and Understanding
  • Tying Concepts to Images
  • From Images to Letter Representation
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 3. Binary Opposites: Goldilocks and Civil War
  • Using Opposites to Expand Upon Understanding
  • Mediating Binary Opposites
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 4. Literal and Metaphoric Talk: “Like a Spring-Woken Tree”
  • Recognizing and Reflecting on Language
  • Similes
  • Metaphors
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 5. Jokes: Drawing the Drapes
  • Joking and “Seeing” Language
  • Humor in Amelia Bedelia
  • Reading Puzzles
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 6. Rhyme and Rhythm: Mickey Mouse’s Underwear
  • Echo Rhymes
  • Rhyme and Rhythm: Ring, Rang, Rung
  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 7. Living Knowledge: Barbie and The Matrix
  • Embedding Knowledge in Students’ Lifeworlds
  • Children's Lifeworlds
  • Conclusion to Part I
  • Part II: The Cognitive Tool Kit of Literacy
  • 8. Extremes: The Queueing Subbookkeeper
  • The Strange, Exotic, Different, and Wonderful
  • Fascinating Reality
  • Metalinguistic Awareness
  • Exploring Extremes
  • Wonder in the Classroom
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 9. Everyday Heroes: Spiderman and the Comma
  • Heroizing Literacy Tasks
  • Heroes in the Classroom
  • Heroic Experiences
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 10. Human Contexts: John Montagu, The Earl of Sandwich
  • Knowledge in a Meaningful Context
  • Linking Language With Purpose
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 11. Collections and Hobbies: Alphabets and Beanie Babies
  • Collecting Letters and Words
  • Literacy as a Hobby
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • 12. Graphic Organizers: Lists and Flowcharts
  • From the Ear to the Eye
  • Visual Tools
  • Teachers, Try It Out
  • Final Words
  • Conclusion to Part II
  • Part III: Planning Frameworks
  • 13. Framework 1
  • Mythic Planning Framework
  • Example: A Lesson on Homonyms
  • 14. Framework 2
  • The Romantic Planning Framework
  • Example: A Lesson on the Comma
  • The Frameworks and You
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix: Responses to the "Teachers, Try It Out" Questions by Gillian C. Judson
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

I found the book engaging. Yet, I needed one comprehensive book. I have recommended the book to others.Thank you.Rena Harris
Dr Rena Harris, School Of Education, Drexel University
"A fun, revealing guide acknowledging that an atmosphere of fun, familiar ideas and experiences promote effective instruction. Offers a new approach designed to present classroom teachers with intriguing, different activities. Chapters offer challenges for student and teacher alike and encourage lessons which are refreshingly different."
The Midwest Book Review, August 2006
"Focuses on enhancing students' metalinguistic awareness and not just their intuitive use of words, fostering the development of higher mental functions."
Elena Bodrova, Senior Researcher, McREL, Senior Researcher, McREL
"A fascinating piece of writing, presenting ideas that are fresh and exciting."
Katherine (Taddie) Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist, Waco Independent School District, TX

Recommendations