This study compares the English reading comprehension and ethical awareness of 7th grade students, when using either a directed reading-thinking activity (DR-TA), or a more traditional approach, involving tales of virtue based on His Majesty the King's teaching concepts. A randomized control group pretest-posttest design was used for the study,…

Wordless books offer a bounty of riches. The format is accessible to everyone regardless of language or reading ability, making the books ideal for use in international settings, classes with nonnative speakers, or families with adults or children who are struggling or emergent readers. They enrich the aesthetic lives and literacy skills of…

Since ancient times, humans have sought explanations for the mysteries of nature's beauty and variety. Like other kinds of folk stories, pourquoi tales can be considered parables about how humans and animals originated or why they look or behave the way they do. Pourquoi tales have high appeal, are generally simple and straightforward in…

Suggests there are many ways to assess students' progress in understanding the elements of a story. Discusses how to stimulate students' ability to analyze how adding another character, changing the setting or twisting the plot can create new and interesting versions of a the common folktale, "The Three Little Pigs." Includes a 37-item…

Classroom teachers might consider teaching children to become critical readers through the use of traditional literature. It is not necessarily difficult to define critical reading, but it is a difficult task to teach students when and how to read critically. The six skills most important to critical reading are that the reader should (1) read…

A folktale may be defined as a tale of the people, a short, fast-moving oral or written adventure story perhaps of a comic or romantic nature. It is a traditional story of a particular group of people and follows a basic design. Since it is told by many storytellers, it has differing versions or variations. Because it has been handed down through…

Any topic, in this case Frogs, can be related effectively to all areas of the curriculum for an exciting and enjoyable reading/language experience. (JH)

This Spanish reader for third grade students is about a kitten who is the pet of all the children in the neighborhood. The kitten gets into mischief, but his punishment marks a turn for the better when he becomes the pet of a fisherman's son. The entire text is in Spanish and black and white sketches illustrate the text. (Author/NCR)

This Spanish reader for children in kindergarten and first grade is about a drop of water that comes to life in a trip through the water cycle of evaporation, condensation, and subsequent return to a drier part of the earth's surface environment. The story is suitable for reading aloud or independent reading. The text is entirely in Spanish.…

This Greek reader for children in kindergarten and first grade is about a drop of water that comes to life in a trip through the water cycle of evaporation, condensation, and subsequent return to a drier part of the earth's surface environment. The story is suitable for reading aloud or independent reading. The text is entirely in Greek.…

Provides annotations for 25 books containing stories from and about countries that are now part of the Soviet Union. Suggests that they can help children become aware of cultures other than their own. (FL)

Intended to help young children learn to read with comprehension, this book uses visualization and drawing techniques with folktales. The folktales in the book (collected from around the world and freely adapted) were chosen to help primary- and middle-grade students increase their enjoyment and comprehension by eliciting a flood of rich visual…

This primary level reader in Italian intended for use in a bilingual education setting, is about the life cycle of a drop of water. The drop of water is personified and the story tells of its adventures as it travels from the top of the lake to the bottom, its meeting with the inhabitants of the lake, and its trip to the clouds. After deciding not…

This French children's reader designed for children in grades 2-3 is about a fun-loving pair of frogs. Their antics are described and illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings. (NCR)

This Italian children's reader for grades K-1 is about a Neopolitan boy who worked in his father's bakery and invented the pizza. Generations later a descendant followed in his footsteps and opened New York City's first pizzeria. Pen-and-ink drawings illustrate the text. A glossary is included. (NCR)