This volume presents oral discourse as central to the creation of knowledge. More specifically, it examines how oral texts can be successfully interconnected to the written texts that are used on a daily basis in schools. By presenting research that illuminates how oral and written language function in school learning, this book adds a semblance of balance and order to the past century's conflicting theories about this issue. Rather than argue for the prominence of one over the other, the goal is to help the reader gain a rich understanding of how oral discourse and written texts might work together to create a new discourse that ultimately creates new knowledge.