Lorenza Lara, Secondary Literacy Coordinator for the Denver (CO) Public Schools, specializes in secondary English Learner (EL) education. According to Lorenza, EL research has shown that educators often confuse youths' regular development in a second language with literacy difficulties. This research also has demonstrated the individuality of…

Discusses three series of informational books that deal with animals: "Little Woodland Books,""Life Cycles," and "Skylight Books." (FL)

The first of two concerning children's periodicals, this column describes five such magazines that present information from various disciplines in a compelling way. (FL)

Research has informed educators about the value of preparing students for reading in the content areas, but how do teachers begin the complicated task of planning effective prereading activities that maximize their students' learning? This book provides practical activities that promote the learning of adolescents in their daily work in content…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of four methods of teaching reading in the content areas: (1) presenting isolated skills, (2) "aiming" toward content, (3) "guiding" toward content, and (4) presenting skills and content concurrently. (FL)

Offers strategies by which teachers can accommodate individual differences in students' reading abilities by modifying students' experiential background, text content and mode of presentation, or assignments at three points in the reading process. (Author/SJL)

Recommends four books which describe how to teach children to read and write about real-world matters. States that children who are engaged with meaningful materials that they have helped select and tasks they have helped plan require less extrinsic motivation than those who are assigned meaningless materials and tasks. (MG)

Reviews the pre-1950 literature on content area reading instruction and identifies 47 major references. Finds that contemporary researchers attend to only two of these references. (FL)

Discusses "Cobblestone," a social studies magazine, and "Penny Power," a consumer education publication, in this the second of a two-part article concerning content area periodicals for intermediate grade students. (FL)

Presents an instructional strategy--the "parallel lesson transfer"--for teaching students to identify main ideas. The lessons involve students in viewing pictures, listening, oral reading, and silent reading. (JT)

Defines the specialty of content area reading instruction and identifies the gaps in the knowledge base underlying this specialty. (AEA)

Describes a classroom activity designed to teach students how to skim and to read critically that is applicable to all content subjects. (MKM)

Based on the premise that what students know before they read an assignment will strongly influence what they learn by reading that assignment, this booklet provides strategies that teachers can use to evoke and enhance students' background knowledge in relation to content area reading. Following a foreword and preface, the first major section of…

Intended to be a practical guide to prereading activities applicable in the classroom, this book emphasizes students' independence by shifting the focus of instruction to student-centered applications. Chapters of the book cover such topics as: (1) preparing students to read in the content areas; (2) asking and answering questions before reading;…

Intended for use in undergraduate or postbaccalaureate teacher preparation programs, during staff development activities, and in introductory graduate teacher education courses, this book introduces K-12 teachers to the topic of helping students use reading and writing as tools for learning. This third edition retains features of earlier…