Abstract of

Genres at Home and at School: Bridging the Known to the New

Nell K. Duke

Victoria Purcell-Gates

This article reports on genres or types of text encountered by a group of 4- to 6-year-old children of low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds at home and a group of first-grade children of low-SES backgrounds at school. Some genres were found in only one or the other setting, some were found in both. The authors suggest that knowledge about genres young children encounter at home and at school offers opportunities to bridge home and school literacies and enhance children's literacy development. Specifically, they suggest (a) being aware of genres that are new to children in school, providing extra support with these texts; (b) drawing on home genres in school, particularly when teaching new material (linking the known to the new); and (c) capitalizing on those genres that children encounter in both home and school settings. Snapshots are provided of classroom practices in which genre is used to build home and school connections.

Abstract from Duke, N.K., & Purcell-Gates, V. (2003, September). Genres at Home and at School: Bridging the Known to the New. The Reading Teacher, 57(1), 30–37. doi: 10.1598/RT.57.1.4