The conventional wisdom among educators and literacy gurus is that reading comprehension depends on the acquisition of isolatable, teachable, and generalizable skills. Consequently, many elementary and middle school English classrooms follow the "reading workshop" model, an approach to literacy instruction, with several variations that…

This qualitative study aims at detecting areas that requires to be developed in the EFL reading program in elementary stages in Kuwaiti public schools by using children's literature. It also examines the reading program in the public elementary curriculum. The participants were six English language major students from the College of Basic…

This report describes an individualized literacy intervention program that was developed for a fifth grade boy who struggled with reading. Based upon informal assessment and evaluation procedures, the following literacy strategies were taught within a one-to-one instructional setting: Repeated Readings, Personal Vocabulary Journal, Phonemic…

To improve students' reading abilities, an elementary school staff decided to supplement the regular curriculum with a free Internet reading program. To promote student participation in the supplemental program, the media specialist designed the Gumball Reading Program, which included student requirements and rewards. The requirements…

The purpose in this study was to examine the longitudinal relationships of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation with reading literacy development. In particular, the authors (a) investigated reading amount as mediator between motivation and reading literacy and (b) probed for bidirectional relationships between reading motivation and reading…

Beginning with the premise that pleasure is a driving force in life, this article examines the relationships between pleasure, schooling and society across the past century. Through the examination of school texts, narratives, and histories of literacy instruction, a case is made that part of the move away from keeping pleasure at the heart of…

Reviews the debate about intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards for reading. Discusses the effectiveness of praise. Uses L. Vygotsky's notion of the Zone of Proximal Development to understand the development of motivation to read. Suggests that the motivation to keep reading will come from students' experience of success and their feeling of belonging…

Read Across America Day was created by the National Education Association in 1998. This column presents suggestions for classroom activities that can be used to celebrate this day. Suggestions include: (1) Making a Read Across America flag; (2) Taking pictures of staff with their favorite books; and (3) Sending out ballots asking students and…

Describes briefly several studies identifying classroom factors associated with literacy motivation in elementary school students. Discusses six research-based factors related to increased motivation to read: a teacher who is a reading model; a book-rich classroom environment; opportunities for choice; familiarity with books; social interaction…

Describes the implementation of a read-a-thon for UNICEF. Addresses the value of young children becoming involved in philanthropy. Urges others to try a read-a-thon or similar projects. (SG)

With the rise of the engagement perspective on reading, the concept of engagement has been increasingly applied in reading instruction and research without seriously questioning its underlying assumptions. By probing into the intellectual roots of the engagement perspective including Dewey's notion of reflective thinking, and Freire's critical…

Explores recent children's books for those whose characters are moved and changed by literacy. Places the books into three categories (desire for literacy, power of literacy, and wonder of literacy) that overlap but give insight into ways to share literature with children and at the same time acknowledge common approaches to sharing the value of…

Suggests that the use of a personalized and rhyming approach makes reading more enjoyable and inviting to children because: (1) the sounds are appealing to the ear; and (2) the combination of personalization and rhyming keeps a child focused and maximizes repetitive readings. Concludes that personalization and rhyming are natural associations that…

Suggests a possibility of resolving the problem of reading motivation for some students. Considers that children and adults like to read about familiar places such as their home state with people and settings that they know about written by authors who live or have lived in that state. Includes a list of 50 books (arranged by state) for the upper…

Discusses recent work on the nature of children's motivations for reading, in particular a reading-specific measure of motivation called the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire. (SR)