Hookin‘’Em In at the Start of School in a ‘Whole Language’ Classroom

How does a teacher with an unusual stance regarding literacy get children to operate in line with her framework? In one inner‐city sixth grade classroom, the children acted according to new expectations before the first day was over. We describe the means used and contrast these with findings from literature on teacher effectiveness and the beginning of school. We explain the discrepancies and children's quick acceptance of the teacher's “deal” by appealing in part to differences in teachers' and researchers' theoretical orientations to literacy.