Play and Literacy

Myae Han is professor of early childhood education in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. James E. Johnson is professor of early childhood education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at The Pennsylvania State University.

• List of FiguresList of TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionSection I. Foundation of Play and LiteracyChapter 1. History of Play and Literacy Research: Contribution of Dr. James F. Christie Myae HanChapter 2. The Book-Play Paradigm in Early Literacy Pedagogy Kathleen A. RoskosSection II. Play and BooksChapter 3. “I wrote a Mona Lisa!” Preschoolers’ Play During Traditional and Digital Writing Renée Casbergue and Julie ParrishChapter 4. Children’s Literature as a Means to Provide Time for Playful Learning While Meeting Academic StandardsM. Angel BestwickChapter 5. Responsive Play: Exploring Language and Literacy Through Play as Reader Response Tori K. Flint Section III. Classroom DynamicsChapter 6. Play and Emerging Literacy: A Comparative Analysis of Kindergarten and Mixed-Age (K-2) Children’s Scaffolding During Symbolic Play Transformations Sandra J. Stone & Brian A. StoneChapter 7. Preschool Teachers’ Responsive Interactions in the Dramatic Play Center and Children’s Vocabulary Outcomes Sohyun Meacham & Myae HanSection IV. Teacher and Adult EducationChapter 8. Re-Learning to Play: Mediating Pre-Service Teachers’ Exploration of Drama-Based Instruction Timothy M. Vetere & Matthew E. Poehner Chapter 9. Play Element and Dynamics of Interaction in an Adult L2 Classroom with the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach Marine Pepanyan & Sohyun Meacham IndexAbout the Contributors

The book’s reader friendly writing makes it an easy read for professors, graduate students, practicing teachers, and other professionals. The research studies are well grounded in decades of literature and showcase the benefits of play in literacy learning. Each chapter addresses the need to challenge hegemonic educational systems that have relentlessly eliminated play from early childhood curricula. The most beneficial portion of the text can be found at the end of each chapter where the authors make recommendations that provide play opportunities leading intentionally to the development of various literacy skills. This edited volume will inspire readers to rethink existing practices and revalue play.