This study sought to determine the role of "Show-and-Tell" or "Newstime" in children's early school experiences. The study drew upon: (1) three case studies of newstime in kindergarten classroom in two Sydney, Australia, classrooms; (2) a state-wide questionnaire that surveyed 392 kindergarten through Grade 2 (K-2) teachers in New South Wales concerning their newstime practices; and (3) an ethnographic study in a kindergarten classroom in which newstime was explored from the perspectives of the teacher, the children, and a small group of parents. The study found that Show-and-Tell or Newstime is a regular part of a large majority of K-2 classrooms in New South Wales and that teachers have explicit purposes for including this activity in the curriculum. Teacher emphasis is on skill development rather than on the provision of opportunities to share oral narratives. The findings suggest that disparities exist between the pedagogical purposes cited in the research literature, teacher intentions, and the reality of newstime as it is organized in the classroom. (Contains 56 references.) (MDM)