David Wray entered higher education after several years’ teaching and lecturing experience. In 1988 he took up his present position as Lecturer in Education at the University of Exeter., Jane Medwell currently teaches at The Grove Primary School, Devon, and prior to this has held a number of teaching positions. She has also been a Lecturer in Education at the University of Wales, Cardiff.

'It is a powerful book, well and truly centred on a holistic approach to language and on an interactive and collaborative approach to learning. No primary school teacher should be without a copy.' - Child Language Teaching and Therapy'David Wray and Jane Medwell have written a clear, comprehensive and accessible book about developing English in the primary school.' - Junior Education'an interesting collection of current topics, explicit examples, and a series of definitive statements about schooled literacies at the present time....Teachers and others will find this book encouraging and supportive in their attempts to go `beyond the information given'.' - Language and Education

• Introduction 1.Classroom Talk 2.Language Diversity and Language Awareness 3.Children's Literature and the Power of Stories 4.The Emergence of Literacy 5.Literacy in the Early Years of Schooling 6.The Teaching of Reading 7.Writing: Purpose and Process 8.Developing Literacy Across the Curriculum 9.Literacy for Learning 10.The Use of the Computer to Develop Language and Literacy 11.Assessing Language and Literacy Development Conclusion