Describes observations of recreational reading material selection by kindergarten and first-grade boys and girls. Discussion covers gender-related preferences in choices of recreational library materials, fiction and non-fiction choices, flexibility in reading choices, and gender roles. Observations made in 1983 and 1984 are appended. Five sources…

This collection of essays grew out of the "Reading Stephen King Conference" held at the University of Maine in 1996. Stephen King's books have become a lightning rod for the tensions around issues of including "mass market" popular literature in middle and high school English classes and of who chooses what students read.…

Designed to help teachers, students, and parents identify engaging and insightful books for young adults, this book presents annotations of over 1,400 books published between 1994 and 1996. The book begins with a foreword by young adult author, Chris Crutcher, a former reluctant high school reader, that discusses what books have meant to him.…

Summarizes current research on teaching children to love reading, and identifies techniques that can be used by parents, teachers and librarians to foster this attitude. The topics discussed include the value of reading aloud to children, selecting children's books, the different interests of boys and girls, and reading to develop values. (six…

Provides an excellent annotated bibliography of children's trade books, fiction, poetry, and miscellaneous works about the Oregon Trail. Includes a concise overview of the hardships faced by settlers as they followed the trail during the westward expansion. A bibliography of reference sources at the end of the article also is very useful. (MJP)

Argues that the illuminating, conceptual, and contextual qualities of literature make it an excellent resource for teaching social studies concepts, especially those concerning multiculturalism. Advocates reading the books as complete works rather than piecemeal assignments. Includes suggestions for selected books and related topics. (MJP)

This book aims to show parents how to instill the love of reading in their children and how to nurture that love throughout their lives, even in the face of television, video, and computer entertainment. The book is based on the concept of "reading pathways," developed after more than 20 years of classroom observation and interviews. It…

When elementary school teachers serve on a committee to select a new basal reader program, they must represent their school's unique needs. To develop their awareness, the selection committee should address such questions as: What kind of program improvements are teachers hoping to get? What kind of articulation will be needed between this program…

This basal reading series cross-reference guide can help educators (1) place students transfering from another basal program; (2) select appropriate enrichment basal programs to satisfy school district policies; (3) identify and select reinforcement skill exercises from other basal programs; (4) identify basal reading materials with similar skills…

When parents called for the removal of certain classroom and library materials from the Mexico, Missouri, public schools in 1982, the Mexico Board of Education unanimously refused their request. After separate complaints about the magazine "Humanist," a film of Shirley Jackson's story "The Lottery," as well as her book…

Focusing on the need to offer and encourage the experience of reading literature in elementary schools, the essays in this book (1) explicate the range of theory known as reader-response criticism; (2) argue its distinctive relevance to the needs of young, developing readers; and (3) indicate how classroom practices might be changed to accommodate…

Compiled by teachers, administrators, curriculum planners, and librarians, this list is intended to help local level curriculum planners and teachers select books for their reading programs and evaluate their literature programs, and to encourage students to read by improving their reading attitudes. To accommodate a variety of tastes, abilities,…

The Shared Responsibility Model (SRM), a language process model that has been used effectively in classrooms that serve limited and proficient English speakers interacting within the same environment, can be utilized with Navajo children. SRM's philosophy recognizes that students learn and retain vocabulary most effectively when they: (1) learn…

This issue provides a detailed overview of the Illinois literacy effort, including committee lists, project proposal forms, rules and regulations, financial support information, and a chronology of events. Several articles focus on the planning and implementation of literacy programs and the role of the library in literacy education. (CLB)

Describes three literacy organization and public library programs: Project LEARN (Cleveland, Ohio), which encourages higher-level beginning adult readers to want to read on their own; Greenville County (South Carolina) Library's Latchkey Kids Program; and policies on unattended and disruptive children developed by Iowa City and Cedar Rapids (Iowa)…