Argues that humorous books have the potential to brighten the classroom environment, motivate students, and develop reactive, thinking readers. (FL)

Lists benefits of children's magazines as educational resources, discusses their educational implications, and offers specific activities involving the use of such periodicals. Provides a list of children's magazines available around the world. (FL)

Argues that making inferences is an integral part of reading comprehension. Presents classroom strategies based on current research that encourage inference skill development. (FL)

Suggests that integrating story maps into a reading lesson helps readers attend to details as well as to relationships between story elements before, during, and after reading. Reports findings of a study to support this belief. (FL)

Recent research confirms that children learn to read best by using a balanced literacy program incorporating a combination of explicit phonics, whole language, and good literature. Long before children are able to engage in reading themselves, they must feel that reading is something they want to do. Comfortable and early familiarity with letters…

The world of the 21st century demands relevance in learning, consumer wisdom, technological skills, and, above all, the ability to read precisely and well. A new course of reading instruction--matched to the goals, needs, and interests of the middle school learner--is "technical reading." This fastback shares 3 years' experience of…

Investigates how multiple stances in reading can reveal new insights into texts. Demonstrates three ways that a single text can be read from the perspectives of a pleasurable reading, a postcolonial reading, and a critical multicultural reading. Argues that readers will confirm existing meanings determined by others' ideologies unless they are…

Provides a review of current research on the relevance of morphological awareness to reading and reading instruction. Discusses children's development of awareness of the morphemic structure of words and the need for children to learn strategies that will help them read, spell, and understand morphologically complex words. Concludes that educators…

Continues the discussion on specific and strategic knowledge begun in last month's column. Argues that while reading teachers have not "wrapped up" the process of teaching reading strategies or content area reading, there are signs of progress. Argues that not all approaches to strategy instruction work for all students or all teachers.…

Discusses three basic principles of whole learning that provide the framework for course instruction: (1) literacy processes are used on a daily basis; (2) students are given much opportunity to use and practice what is learned; and (3) learning is a social process. Notes that preservice teachers are resistant to implement content area reading…

Examines the effectiveness of predictable reading. Presents an example of an effective lesson using the predictable book reading component of the Early Literacy Project. Demonstrates that learning involves dynamic interactions between the novice and expert, and that the expert must recognize the child's independent level and determine through…

Studies skilled readers' perceptions of the relative importance of elements of informative text on a subject matter with which the readers were unfamiliar. Finds little agreement among subjects regarding which material was important to remember for a test. (HB)

Suggests that upper elementary teachers should watch for signs that readers are going through a transition stage from oral to silent reading. Notes that if students do not make the transition with their peers, they may need sustained one-on-one help, especially to improve their attitude and control their inner critic. Presents a case study. (RS)

This paper shows how scanning can be practiced in a class reading Southeast Asian texts, focusing on methods used to teach scanning techniques to advanced learners of Thai-as-a-Foreign-Language. Instructors can present students with questions or items to search for in a lengthy text, such as the Thai epic poem "Ramakian." (MDM)

Describes three "generate" strategies for seeking information in text when expected clues are missing. (SR)