What the Research Says About Talking and Playing in Literacy Instruction

How do you balance the restless energy of children who have already spent 7 hours trying to “be good” in school with expectations that their participation in afterschool will lead to higher test scores? If literacy is a component of your afterschool program, you will be interested in the Afterschool Training Toolkit for literacy, an online staff development tool created by the National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning.

Staff at Northwest Regional Laboratory (NWREL), a partner in the National Partnership, developed the materials in the literacy toolkit. They have also supplemented the toolkit with a series of staff development tools that are available online.

The staff development resources and the research on which they are based make it clear that literacy in afterschool is not simply an extension of the school day. Promising practices in literacy include book discussion groups and story dramatizations. Research has shown that discussing and enacting stories can improve student literacy. These types of activities can also lay the foundation for continuous improvement by creating a greater interest in reading.1
The next time you are faced with a talkative group of students who literally won’t stay seated, remember that what first looks like mayhem can actually be a sign of student engagement in learning.

See Recommended Resources (above) for additional information.

* Winner, E., & Hetland, L. (2000, Fall/Winter). The arts and academic achievement: What the evidence shows. Executive summary. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 34. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/Reap/REAPExecSum.htm; Spielberger, J., & Halpern, R. (with Pitale, S., Nelson, E., Mello-Temple, S., Ticer-Wurr, L., et al.). (2002). The role of after-school programs in children’s literacy development. Chicago: University of Chicago, Chapin Hall Center for Children.

Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center, After School Learning Center (ASLC)
San Francisco, CA

In the After School Learning Center (ASLC) at the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center in San Francisco, California, project-based learning is key to maintaining student interest. The program offers a menu of afterschool “clubs,” many of which are based on technology. Students have a say in what clubs the program will offer, and they are able to choose what clubs they join. The curriculum for each club is also aligned with California State Education standards and school-day content.

Technology coordinator Nathaniel Carter mentions the newsletter as one of the activities that has more than one content area embedded in the work. Students master such programs as Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, and Adobe Photoshop, and they learn how to search the Internet for story content. Through research and writing, students develop literacy skills.

The newsletter also supports another program goal: youth development. Carter noticed the transformation in the students who worked on the newsletter. “These are kids that had gone from being unable to answer a question to being able to interview classmates and teachers, participate in group conversations that would determine the direction of the paper, and lead groups of junior members in the development of [the newsletter’s] column and structure,” Carter says.

Copyright © 2007 by SEDL . This newsletter was produced in whole or in part with funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-01-CO-0057/0001.

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Questions or comments should be directed to:

Laura Shankland
SEDL
211 E. 7th St., Suite 200
Austin, TX 78701-3253
Phone: 800-476-6861 ext. 237
Fax: 512-476-2286
E-mail: afterwords@sedl.org