This work provides a collection of readings that illustrate both the variation in research on language and literacy and the common underlying themes. It covers four themes: talk and the process of teaching and learning; literacy and education; discourse and identity; and multimodal communication. As a collection, it explores both theory and empirical research, and illustrates educational contexts, including mainstream schooling, English as a foreign language, sign bilingual deaf education, and indigenous community learning. It focuses on informal contexts such as the home, the playground, and local communities. It also considers diverse participants, including children and adults, bilingual and monolingual learners.