Edited by Diane W. Howard and Lauria Kay Sommers with educators from Cook County public schools (Vanessa Mitchell, Judith Philips, Margo Harris, Trina Brown, Adam Hathaway, and Jeremy Williams). Section 1 Folkwriting Project's Background Overview -- A Narrative of the Connecting Homes, Schools, and Communities Project -- The Writing Process -- Folklife as a Subject for Writing -- An Introduction to Folklife -- Fieldwork and Interviews in the Classroom Section 2 Folkwriting Lesson Plans and Activities -- Folkwriting Lesson Plans and Activities (Lower Elementary) -- Welcome to the Neightborhood (Upper Elementary) -- Exploring Holiday Traditions (Middle Grades) -- Student Writing about Everyday Lives (Middle Grades) -- Scrapbooking My World (High School) -- Plays about Place (High School).