Describes how five fourth-grade students and a teacher transacted with text and with each other as they talked about books. Finds that students' responses to literature are not limited to movements among text and personal experiences but also include movements among improvisations stimulated by the text and related texts such as other books and…

Examines the nature and influence of interpretive authority (which suggests that participants in literacy events have authority to determine whether responses shared by others are acceptable) on the meaning construction process for six fourth-grade readers. Finds interpretive authority is flexible and shifts among participants depending on how…

A study investigated whether fourth graders recall different amounts of information for passages of different emotional orientation, whether there is a relationship between their emotional response to the passage and the amount of information recalled, and whether they recall different relationships when they read passages of different emotional…

Outlines an elementary school unit on rivers, which drew on a range of reading materials both fiction and nonfiction, among them "The Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark." Studies the degree of similarity in fourth graders' response to and understanding of fiction and nonfiction books. Observes that children do have unique responses to…

Finds that engaged reading occurred in a fourth-grade classroom when students and teachers used interpretive tools to select, connect, and organize information in the text to construct meaningful interpretations and that there were cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational components to the engagement observed. (PA)

Presents nine student responses to "Pink and Say" by Patricia Polacco. Gives the students opinion and often times their response to some of the scenarios presented by the book. (SG)

A study examined the retelling performance of the novice compared with that of the expert and the effect of retelling practice on comprehension for both proficient and less proficient readers. Thirty-six fourth graders (20 proficient and 16 less proficient readers) were randomly assigned to one of four story sessions. Across the four sessions all…

Considers how children's vocabulary develops in reading contexts. Focuses on the role of independent reading as one of the major factors influencing vocabulary growth. (AEW)

Suggests that the essence of whole language is students developing literate voices. Discusses a seven-month partnership in which the authors participated in and reflected on literature discussions with small groups of fourth graders. Explores how literate voices are developed in real classrooms. (RS)

The effects of wait-time, the pause following a teacher question and the pause after a student response, on the length and number of student responses were analyzed at different cognitive levels. Data were obtained from 95 students in grade 4 and from 5 teachers using a wait-time of 5 seconds. Four oral discussion sessions by teachers and students…

Presents strategies for coaxing students into insightful book discussions. The strategies include creating a comfortable environment, choosing groups that work together, being a good leader, picking meaningful books, following the students' leads, spinning conversational threads, lighting the conversational fire, and examining different angles on…

Explores what students are learning by writing literature responses. Accentuates the influential role of teachers in literature. Discusses the need for educators to engage in ongoing reflection about their theoretical beliefs and pedagogical practices regarding literature- and response-based programs. (RS)

A study examined whether the higher-order thinking patterns elicited by a reader response approach would carry over and become part of students' ways of thinking about literature, even in the absence of reader response prompts. Subjects were fourth-grade students (48 in all) in two intact, heterogeneously grouped classrooms in the same elementary…

Analyzes the effect of grade level on stances students take when responding to literature. Finds that a two-way analysis of variance for grade and text on the variable of stance reveals no significant main effects for grade. (PRA)

Illustrates how studying fourth-grade students' language-play response discourses and sharing students' patterns of thinking with them can lead to authentic assessment that fuels learning. Discusses open activities (providing challenge, autonomy, and social collaboration) that foster language-play response. Discusses what is meant by language…