This book provides direct solutions to the question, How do we save play in a standard-driven educational environment? This book provides theoretical/historical foundation of connection between play and literacy, applied research studies, and practical strategies to connect play and literacy in early childhood and in teacher education.

How do we save play in a standard-driven educational environment? This edited collection, Play and Literacy: Play & Culture Studies provides a direct answer and solutions to this question. Researchers and theorists have argued for decades that play is the best way to learn language and literacy for children. This book provides theoretical and historical foundation of connection between play and literacy, applied research studies as well as practical strategies to connect play and literacy in early childhood and in teacher education. This book features chapters on the history of play and literacy research, book-play paradigm, play in digital writing, book-based play activities, play-based reader responses, classroom dynamics affecting literacy learning in play, and using play with adults in teacher education such as drama-based instruction. Variety of chapters addressing the strong connection between play and literacy will satisfy the readers who seek to understand the relationship between play and literacy and implement ways to use play to support language and literacy.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Section I. Foundation of Play and Literacy

Chapter 1. History of Play and Literacy Research: Contribution of Dr. James F. Christie

Myae Han

Chapter 2. The Book-Play Paradigm in Early Literacy Pedagogy

Kathleen A. Roskos

Section II. Play and Books

Chapter 3. “I wrote a Mona Lisa!” Preschoolers’ Play During Traditional and Digital Writing

Renée Casbergue and Julie Parrish

Chapter 4. Children’s Literature as a Means to Provide Time for Playful Learning While Meeting Academic Standards

M. Angel Bestwick

Chapter 5. Responsive Play: Exploring Language and Literacy Through Play as Reader Response

Tori K. Flint

Section III. Classroom Dynamics

Chapter 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. Stone

Chapter 7. Preschool Teachers’ Responsive Interactions in the Dramatic Play Center and Children’s Vocabulary Outcomes

Sohyun Meacham & Myae Han

Section IV. Teacher and Adult Education

Chapter 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

Index

About the Contributors