Make Way for Literacy! starts with a brief explanation of how literacy begins to develop, first in a child's home and neighborhood. Owocki points out the various individual traits, family activities, and basic literacy practices that can be so influential - and then focuses on preschool, kindergarten, and the primary grades. Next, the book offers four key principles for understanding and facilitating literacy, along with easy-to-follow techniques for starting - or refining - teacher research and inquiry in the classroom.
The bulk of the text is devoted to practical, curriculum-enhancing literacy engagements. For each type of engagement, Owocki explains how it fosters language and literacy development; provides ideas for instruction, assessment, evaluation, and teacher research; offers practical methods and materials for getting the engagement started; suggests related activities involving art, drama, movement, writing, drawing, talk, or play; and includes actual teaching and learning examples from classrooms.