Describes a school district's efforts to make teachers, parents, and students more aware of the importance and fun of reading. (RL)

Children quickly become bored with repetition requiring the library media specialists to vary their booktalk formats to sustain children's attention and promote recreational reading. This article discusses the four basic booktalk formats: plot summary, anecdote, character description, creation of mood, and a fifth to promote books with a common…

Shares how the author designed reading activities to increase students' understanding of nonfiction by adhering to three principles: purpose, classification, and collaboration. Recounts how students responded to the reading materials and each other as they developed an understanding of the information available to them. (MG)

Discusses the opportunity to unite readers of all ages by encouraging reading and discussing books on a given topic. Outlines possible topics and gives book-starter suggestions that are likely to spark broad interest such as the 1940s, World War II, or Growing Up. Suggests preparations that may be made for those who are unaccustomed to book…

The 14th Jerusalem International Book Fair, as an integral part of the International Jerusalem Symposium on Encouraging Reading took place for the fourth time. It addressed itself specifically to the promotion of reading habits among children and young people. The proceedings contain the following addresses: (1) "Give Us Books, Give Us Wings;…

Acknowledging that the literary quality of children's stories strongly affects reading comprehension and interest in reading, a study examined how inside view (the insight an author provides about a character's thoughts and feelings) affects the presentation of character beliefs and plans. The study was based on the following premises: (1) basal…

Intended to document the change in attitudes toward adults (parents and teachers) reading aloud to children since the late 1950s and to determine if the practice is strongly correlated to early fluency for young readers, this annotated bibliography also provides a research review, makes recommendations for reading aloud to children, and lists…

Three questions guided the preparation of this paper: What are current practices in teaching literature in the elementary school? What research supports these practices? and What research should be conducted to increase knowledge and improve current practices? The first section, "Current Practices," describes the historical background of the…

This paper considers many aspects of children's response to literature. Among the topics discussed are factors within the child (related to age, sex, and intelligence) that teachers and researchers agree may affect a child's enjoyment of literature; a research study on the relationship between story content and a child's psychological and…

BOOK REPORT ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD BE PART OF A CAREFULLY PLANNED READING PROGRAM TO MOTIVATE STUDENT INTEREST IN LITERATURE. GOOD READING PROGRAMS CAN BE CREATED BY--(1) ASSESSING STUDENT NEEDS, INTERESTS, AND REGIONAL BACKGROUND, (2) APPRAISING THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT'S READING ABILITY AND THE AMOUNT OF OUTSIDE READING REQUIRED IN OTHER COURSES, (3)…

A total of 29 teachers and 227 elementary school students participated in a study that examined teachers' judgments of their students' reading preferences as indicated by book selections. Children were asked to choose books they would like to read from a list of book descriptions. Teachers were then asked to predict their selections. Results…

The studies reported in this document reflect the interests and concerns of reading and language arts teachers. Topics of the 10 studies were: a comparison of basal and individualized reading approaches to vocabulary acquisition of fourth graders, a comparison of a formal reading program and an informal general readiness program in kindergarten,…

This volume contains papers that should help both elementary and high school teachers bring literature into the school curriculum and provide literary experiences which should carry over into the future. The introductory group of papers is entitled "The Point of View." The first paper uses the classroom as its center of focus. The second enlarges…

Library circulation records for five years in one Hawaiian elementary school were analyzed to discover patterns according to sex and grade level; identify titles, subjects, and types of books circulated; and determine circulation of Hawaiiana and books about Asia. Bibliography of 129 titles mentioned in text is included. (11 references) (EJS)

Describes observations of recreational reading material selection by kindergarten and first-grade boys and girls. Discussion covers gender-related preferences in choices of recreational library materials, fiction and non-fiction choices, flexibility in reading choices, and gender roles. Observations made in 1983 and 1984 are appended. Five sources…