The distinction between fiction and nonfiction focuses on the aspect of literature teachers usually emphasize when teaching it to students: content. It is equally important, however, for students to understand the "mechanics" of literature, including how a writer crafts his or her material and how the text establishes expectations in a…

Young adult (YA) literature, which is written for readers in grades 6-10, is a relatively new part of the literary spectrum. In the few decades it has been around, YA literature has developed a following among students, teachers, and librarians. This collection of 12 essays explores the reasons YA literature is so popular, and ways it can be used…

This book offers teachers some information about many of the newest children's books as well as over 125 kid-tested and teacher-approved ways to extend these stories into other areas of the curriculum. It aims to enable teachers to enhance their professional judgment about using literature in the classroom; guide teachers toward getting their…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of literature circle discussions on students' written responses. Two main research questions guided data collection and analysis: (1) How does literature circle discussion around one book affect the students' written responses according to a comprehension taxonomy? and (2) Do literature circle…

Examining how teachers help students respond to short fiction, this book presents 25 essays that look closely at "teachable" short stories by a diverse group of classic and contemporary writers. The approaches shared by the contributors move from readers' first personal connections to a story, through a growing facility with the…

Argues that "text rendering"--responding to oral readings by saying back remembered words or phrases--forces students to prolong their initial responses to texts and opens initial response to the influence of other readers. Argues that silence following oral readings allows words to sink into students' minds, creating individual images…

Ruminates on and analyzes the author's experiences in teaching the first course in women's literature and feminist criticism at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Asserts that the course brought to consciousness the author's femininity, feminism, and a new understanding of feminist criticism. (MM)

Examines four stages of reading development, and discusses the differences between a developing adolescent reader and an adult reader. Notes that early stages of reading development are bridges to the world of mature, adult experiences with books, and urges English teachers to encourage developing readers' enthusiasm for all literature. (MM)

Examines problems of interpretation posed by Avi's "Nothing but the Truth," particularly those concerning what truth is and what access the reader has to it. Shows how a "documentary novel" employs "objective facts" but allows various characters to manipulate them. Suggests that a traditional approach to the novel is problematic and recommends…

This study applied Reader Response theory (which stresses an aesthetic experience with the text) with seven less proficient readers (learning-disabled fifth and sixth graders). Student response was best when the text was read to them, when their responses were oral, and when instruction focused on active meaning construction and the reader/text…

Reconsiders the nature of literature as a school subject. Discusses the notion that school literature is different from reading literature outside school. Discusses three anomalies: the text and the textbook; educators' idolatry of "naive readers" whose heads are to be stuffed; and the roles of the reader and writer in school programs.…

Describes how literature is used in elementary classrooms, and is a problem in pedagogical practice. Argues for the need to place a greater emphasis on the study of literature as a subject in the reading program and to help students develop "literary literacy." Suggests a holistic approach to teaching literature that combines transactional and…

Illustrates the use of drama as a form of literary response. Suggests that drama allows students to develop and exhibit a range of skills and to demonstrate their literary understandings in "unschooled" ways. Suggests that Howard Gardner's work on multiple intelligences demonstrates that students may not be developing understandings because they…

Describes a study at the Willings Learning Clinic that analyzed the responses of 39 male students, 66 female students, 44 adult males, and 51 adult females to literature. Five styles of responding to literature are discussed: the analyzer, the picture maker, the reflector, the elaborator, and the internalizer. (CR)

Thomas Hardy has received great acclaim as a poet and novelist, but his short stories have remained largely ignored with regard to the usual short story "canon." Early reviews of Hardy's stories were mixed, but after his death the tide of critical opinion tended to turn against Hardy's stories. A significant historical factor was the…