Argues that reading specialists' lack of success in persuading content area teachers to help their students read and study texts in social studies, science, and mathematics is a result of reading specialists' lack of careful thought about text structures. Discusses the text structures of textbooks in these content areas. (RS)

Presents brief annotations of the 31 books chosen most often by middle, junior, and senior high school students. Notes that problem novels abound and that romantic fiction, sports, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, and nonfiction are included. (RS)

Describes a Directed Notetaking Activity (DNA) based on three instructional principles: the split page method for structured notetaking; a self-questioning strategy for monitoring levels of involvement before, during, and after notetaking; and direct, explicit teaching of the notetaking process. (RS)

Presents an acrostic of the word "summary" designed to help students write a summary correctly. (RS)

Reviews "Written Language Assessment" (WLA), a new standardized test to evaluate children's and adolescents' written language competence by having students write essays instead of answer multiple choice questions. Finds problems with the WLA in terms of interrater reliability. (RS)

Describes advantages of using newspapers as reading material for disturbed adolescents. Outlines various classroom activities using newspapers, such as a newspaper scavenger hunt, celebrity scrapbooks, and student advice columns. Notes that newspapers are successful because they contain current, relevant information, with none of the negative…

Describes the Semantic Analysis to Writing (SAW) framework in which students engage in a modified semantic features analysis of thematic words in a story, identify specific story events that relate to the definition they are constructing, and organize the material for a written response by ranking the supporting evidence. (RS)

Presents examples of a method that teaches vocabulary as a prereading activity using selected quotes so that students can use word parts and context clues such as transitions, connotation, and parallel syntactic structure. (RS)

Describes the varied teaching activities of a reading specialist. Discusses how her role is already what she would like it to be and what she would like to change. (SR)

Delineates four ways of knowing history: (1) organizing events and people in a meaningful time frame and in a meaningful space frame; (2) interpreting by hypothesizing cause-effect and by generalizing about meaning; (3) interpreting by comparing events; and (4) cross-examining the accuracy and validity of purported "facts." Discusses instructional…

Presents an activity used with ninth and tenth grade remedial readers which introduces the students to five patterns in writing that are common in textbooks: listing, sequence, cause-effect, problem-solution, and comparison-contrast. (PRA)

Presents an inventory intended to make junior high through college students think about what they do while reading and help them become aware of metacognitive strategies. Suggests that the inventory may provide teachers with at least some basic ideas of what their students know with respect to achieving higher levels of comprehension. (RS)

Suggests that participation in literature circles, where a small group of students come together to talk about books, could provide students with opportunities to find answers to their questions and to develop new perspectives on social issues. Describes how a group of seventh graders went into the community to search for answers to their…

Suggest that read-alouds model expressive reading, transmit the pleasure of reading, and invite listeners to be readers. Presents examples for secondary schools and for methods courses and inservice. Discusses locating great read-alouds. (RS)

Discusses the use of a "reflection guide" designed to help students increase their comprehension and recall of a textbook chapter. Notes that the guide is especially useful if students are asked to read a chapter to obtain background for a class discussion. Includes a sample completed reflection guide. (RS)