This essay offers a commentary on how the relationship between language and literacy practices in and out of school has been conceptualized. It draws upon two new books in the field. Shirley Brice Heath's new book, "Words at Work and Play: Three Decades in Family and Community Life," which makes use of rich ethnographic accounts of…

In the author's experience, a significant source of reading difficulty for many beginning and struggling readers are misconceptions about print concepts so basic teachers assume their students are aware of them. Many children fail to grasp implicit principles of print such as the following: the reader cannot make up the words, the order of letters…

Advocates looking around and discovering the real literacy exhibited in everyday activities. Describes the literacy observed at a laundromat. Finds that everyone there was literate in this situation, able to both follow directions and entertain themselves with reading. (SR)

Similar trends are occurring in schools. Lenhart, Simoin, and Graziano (2001) found that 94% of teens online use the Internet for school research projects, and according to the U.S. Department of Education (2004), "even students from low-income groups without access to technology at home seek and find it-using computers at schools, libraries, or…

For most people, it is easy to learn to read faster. A reading rate is often just a matter of habit. To change some habits, try these tips: (1) pay attention when reading and read as if it really matters; (2) do not talk either silently or aloud while reading; (3) read in thought groups or phrases of 3-4 words, especially in complete clauses and…

Highlights issues surrounding literacy, including imprecision in definitions of literacy and the extent of illiteracy, the importance of learning to read before fourth grade, special problems of minority children, and concerns related to those who can read but don't. Stresses the need to motivate people to value literacy. (DMM)

This memoir describes the author's childhood reading, its variety, and its importance in childhood and later life. The narrative clearly shows the role of reading in building the adult mind and the importance of libraries in a child's life. (SLD)

Developing life-long reading habits is a process that should begin in elementary school. Children should be encouraged not only to read what has been approved for classroom use but also to look beyond classroom walls to read for interest and enjoyment. "Looking beyond the walls" is a parable that suggests that school curriculum go beyond the…

Identifies noninstructional conditions leading to semiliterate high school graduates, including the inaccessibility of books, lack of time to read, lack of readers as role models, and barriers within the curriculum and school structure. Argues that educational reforms emphasizing only instruction are unlikely to change these conditions. (DMM)

Emphasizes that reading is a whole person process based on understanding the message rather than on isolated skills. (MKM)

Presents a fictitious dialogue in which a teacher of a college methods course in reading points out to her students that (1) people read for different purposes, (2) reading needs vary from community to community, and (3) teachers should investigate the reading needs of people in their communities. (GT)

Reviews research on the effectiveness of SQ3R as a study technique, noting that support for SQ3R is based more on opinion than on empirical evidence. (JT)

Argues that adult literacy programs should be structured so that reading becomes a genuine means of enhancing the lives of the elderly. (FL)

Offers a series of questions to help readers establish a chronology of feelings about reading, based on the facts of their earliest reading history. Argues that by answering these questions the reader will understand what kind of reader they can become. (MG)

Noting that what becomes of reluctant readers should be of great concern to a nation that advocates education and has traditionally been committed to principles of the higher order, this paper identifies the characteristics of reluctant or unmotivated readers and discusses what happens to them. Following background reflection on the limits people…