Abstract
This study explored a teacher directed and learner-centered teaching approach and how children developed literacy within these approaches. Two teachers and eight students participated in this study. Video and audio data classroom data were collected in two second-grade classrooms over a period of two months and was transcribed, coded, and analyzed using discourse analysis. Three aspects of classroom discourse were explored: a) teacher initiation into literary discussions, b) child experiential and personal connections to literature, and c) teacher response to child connections. In both classrooms, children achieved literary competency in the day’s lessons, however the process in which the children in each class arrived at the knowledge was significantly different. A mixed method approach of both practices was found to be the most beneficial.