Reflecting on 45 years of teaching and research, Lee Galda argues that practice based on transactional theory is essential for the effective teaching of literature.

Reveals four different categories of teacher-student books conferences. Reports findings of a study of four children's book conferences over a year that shows the teacher preferring different foci with different students. (FL)

Discusses a study of the moral meanings first through third graders found as they participated in literature-study groups at Valley View Elementary School (Connecticut). Defines morality and four types of "moral talk" observed in the classroom, and asserts that literature analysis offers a powerful tool for fostering moral development. Contains 14…

This article contains excerpts from the author's two seminal texts: "Literature as Exploration (New York: MLA, 1938) and "The Reader, the Text, the Poem" (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1978). In "Literature as Exploration," the author first presented her transactional theory of reading as she explored the personal, social,…

Designed to provide an alternative to the book report, this booklet presents ideas for students to use in responding to books they have read. These ideas may help to get students to react to their reading, to stretch their minds, to learn to think as independent human beings, and to use their imaginations in experiencing literature. The 152 ideas…

The Book Club project has a focus on research examining literature-based instruction with an emphasis on student-led response groups and this report describes the use of Book Club instruction within a special education resource room, in which elementary-level children incorporated the use of high quality literature, written and oral responses to…

Representing the views of persons from a variety of fields including parents, educators, authors, librarians, and publishers, the papers in this journal issue explore the fine line between censorship (with an eye toward silencing ideas) and selection (with the recognition that just as literature can enlighten it can also degrade). Following an…