Intended as a manual for teaching children the delights of books and reading, this guide lists 147 picture books covering a broad range of topics, concepts, and ideas for elementary and junior high school students. The description of each book is followed by one or more suggested activities ranging from dramatizations to media production, art…

The four major purposes of this study were: to examine and describe the in-depth discussions by selected sixth graders of specific books in an attempt to characterize the nature of the responses; to compare four strategies which were employed for initiating the different discussions; to discover the range of personal involvement which sixth…

The author addresses teachers, parents, and young readers on the importance of reading fiction for young people. The first chapter, "Young People Reading," discusses the development of children's literature (upper-early secondary) since the eighteenth century. "The Novel in the Conservative Classroom" argues for the inclusion of contemporary as…

It was hypothesized that a positive relationship exists between a reader's interest in a passage and his level of comprehension of it. The subjects, 90 sixth grade boys of at least average ability, read a pre-test passage and indicated their interest and comprehension by writing in the deletions for the previously read passage as it appeared in…

Attitude toward reading is an important educational outcome and evaluative criteria due to its relationship to reading behavior and the refinement of reading skills. However, existing scales for assessing reading attitudes are invalid, are constrained by a ceiling effect, or are difficult to administer. A reading attitude assessment package was…

Finds that sharing research on a particular author (Katherine Paterson) with a friend's sixth-grade class increased the students' interest in both the author and her books, led to fruitful discussions with the children, and aroused their curiosity about other authors and books. (NKA)

Indicates that Fijian pupils who had read a large number of high-interest story books written in a second language (English) progressed in reading and listening comprehension in that language at twice the rate of those students who had not read such books. (AEA)

Provides a rationale for incorporating the use of trade books in the elementary school reading program and offers suggestions for establishing classroom conditions that encourage students to read silently, promoting an interest in books, and assessing individual student success with silent reading. (HOD)

Concludes that there are fewer differences in children's reading preferences between sex, age, and nationality than educators have been led to believe. (FL)

Concludes that both boys and girls benefited from reading sex-appropriate content as opposed to content that was self-selected. Confirms that strong group feelings about reading exist outside a sex-typed pattern of interests. (FL)

Outlines a program for incorporating oral interpretation activities into an elementary school curriculum. (RL)

As part of an ongoing study by William Paterson College, 700 New Jersey children (Grades 4-5) were surveyed about their reading interests. Age and sex remain the major factors influencing children's topic choices; some rural-urban differences were also found. Related primary grade findings are included. (SJL)

Discusses books chosen by teachers to read themselves during sustained silent reading. Selections are arranged under the following headings: professional books, activities books, and children's literature. (FL)

A 20-item scale, based upon the Estes Reading Attitude Scale, was constructed to measure elementary students' attitudes toward reading. Results supported its reliability and validity for third, fourth, and fifth graders. (The scale is included). (JKS)

Explores the educational contexts in which boys and girls make their reading choices. Finds that girls read more and read narrative fiction almost exclusively, while boys read less but in a wider number of genres. Examines the effect that teachers or curriculum have in supporting or challenging gender preferences for reading material selections.…