Describes a reading program focusing on Newbery Medal and Honor Books developed by a library/media specialist and a sixth-grade reading teacher. Evolution of the group format into an individualized approach is discussed, as well as such positive outcomes of the program as increased enjoyment of reading by students. (BK)

Suggests a strategy for developing reading habits in the middle school which is based on Grover C. Mathewson's five motives for reading. (MKM)

Presents, in the form of a conversation with a vampire, results of a teacher's research on middle school students' reading preferences. Includes a list of favorite books mentioned, favorite authors mentioned, and how students found these favorite books. (SR)

Presents six possible strategies to get adolescents to read: (1) capitalize on interests; (2) make reading material accessible; (3) build a conducive environment; (4) allow time to read in school; (5) provide significant adult models; and (6) use motivational techniques. Highlights ways which these strategies can be implemented in classrooms. (MG)

Reports on a survey of the leisure reading of 700 teenagers in rural North Carolina which collected data on reading for pleasure, types of materials selected, favorite authors and books, differences in interests of boys and girls, reasons for reading, and how respondents find out about books. Implications for teachers and library media specialists…

Advocates teaching developmental students to apply the schemata they unconsciously use when choosing movies or television programs to select recreational books. Reviews six steps in surveying/previewing recreational books and three stages of diminishing teacher involvement in book selection. (DMM)

Investigates why children are attracted to scary books, and what they find scary. Addresses children's fears through scary books and the instructional value of scary books. Discusses successful classroom experiences with scary books and notes selection considerations. Offers literature study ideas and a 100-item bibliography of scary books. (SR)

Examined book choices of below-average, average, and above-average readers in a fourth-grade literature-based reading program. Found that book selection criteria were mentioned at different frequencies with below-average readers, whose criteria included pictures and friends' recommendations. Word length, print size, and book length influenced…

Classroom teachers of adolescents need to analyze the material they use for instructional purposes, as well as the materials they suggest for independent reading, to be certain that both incorporate text which is informational or technical, since experience suggests that this type of material is generally preferred by readers of this age group.…

Conceived as a twentieth anniversary tribute to the Reading Is Fundamental Program, this book contains a varied collection of stories, poems, and drawings by some of America's most famous authors and artists of books for children, relating real and imaginary childhood memories that celebrate the joys of reading and the magic of children's…

A review of the literature was conducted to summarize how characteristics of individual readers help to determine the nature and quality of their comprehension of specific texts and to discuss how this knowledge might be used by teachers to promote effective reading in their classes. Three dimensions of readers were identified as being causally…

It is difficult to single out a primary factor leading to the establishment of one's attitude toward reading, but environment, particularly the home, probably provides the greatest influence. Because teachers influence students, they have the potential for influencing students' attitudes toward reading. Whether teachers are seen as readers or…

A study was conducted to discover if the stated reading attitudes and interests of sixth grade students were relevant to their self-selected reading materials. Fifty students completed questionnaires concerning their reading attitudes and interests and used log sheets to record information about their self-selected reading materials. The results…

For the most part, research into the reading activities of elderly readers has focused on three areas--amount of time spent reading, reading preferences, and psychological benefits of reading--and has yielded inconsistent results. The data from reading time research both supports and refutes the claim that reading is less prevalent among older…

A study investigated factors in the backgrounds and present status of eighth and ninth grade inner city students at different stages of reading attitude development and examined how those factors compared from stage to stage. The 50 participants, 48 of whom were black, were administered three attitude measures. Data concerning student conduct,…