Legacy

Abstract

Legacy is the theme for this issue of the journal. The word legacy dates back to the 1300s and has Middle English and Medieval Latin origins, and in this context, we prefer to think of a legacy as a gift or tribute. As Maya Angelou once said, “If you're going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can't be erased.” Bill Teale did just that. He influenced countless doctoral students, researchers, and teachers and the organizations in which he was a leader. He influenced us as editors of this journal. Several years ago, when we were interviewed for the editorship position, Bill asked us important questions, provided guidance, and just as importantly, offered kindness. We will forever remember him and the impact he still makes in the field of literacy. With the legacy of Bill Teale in mind, this issue's The Inside Track is coauthored by two of his former doctoral students. Hoffman, Whittingham, and Teale share the perspectives of five notable scholars in the area of early literacy research from 2006 to 2015. The authors discuss trends specific to this decade and the legacy of early literacy research over the decade, and they note “best guesses” in a forecast for the next decade. Hoffman and Whittingham also pay tribute to Bill, the remarkable scholar, mentor, and leader. Nine feature articles are included in this issue. Manyak, Baumann, and Manyak provide an important article that examines morphological analysis instruction and which morphemes to teach. Authors Popp and Hoard describe how to best support elementary students' sourcing of historical texts. Wessel-Powell, Lu, and Wohlwend's article highlights animated storytelling, and they show how teachers can invite students to play and perform stories. Siffrinn and Lew share an adaptable curriculum for elementary preservice teachers, discussing how to build disciplinary language and literacy into teacher training. In another feature article, Hutchison describes how virtual reality apps provide experiences that can be used in both science and literacy instruction. In her article, DeFauw explores one elementary school's yearlong collaboration with a children's book author/illustrator. Wasik and Hindman describe the importance of wait time and how that wait time allows young students to develop language and vocabulary skills. In their feature article, Colonnese, Amspaugh, LeMay, Evans, and Field note how math fits into writing instruction and provide a framework for guiding mathematical writing instruction. Finally, Nichols, Rasinski, Rupley, Kellogg, and Paige give reasons to joyfully use poetry and other rhythmic language in literacy instruction. In this issue's teaching tip, Rodriguez-Mojica and Briceño explain how to develop sentence stems that support reading comprehension. There are three diverse Voices From the Classroom essays in this issue. Brett Healey, a literacy coach in Hong Kong, describes teaching as a performance of language, and Paige Green, a teacher librarian, suggests how teachers can partner with teacher librarians to help students find an engaging book to read. Last, teacher Natalie Schramer discusses implementing goal setting in readers' workshop with her third graders. There are two departments in this issue. First, in Literacy Across Disciplines, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey note three time-tested ways that teachers can use questions to drive content area learning. Second, in Literacy Coaching and Professional Development, Celeste C. Bates and Denise N. Morgan remind literacy coaches and leaders not to underestimate the importance of interpersonal skills in facilitating professional development. In ending this From the Editors piece, we continue to reflect on the legacy of Bill Teale. He taught us so much and remained a respected, kind leader throughout his career. For younger literacy scholars, the legacy of a remarkable scholar such as Bill must live on. We must continue to research, mentor our students and younger colleagues, and strive to make a difference in the field of literacy. Thank you, Bill.