Argues that reading for students today is drastically changed from that learned by students of generations past, primarily as a result of mass media and their effects. Shows how reading in a multimedia world is a complex and subtle enterprise. Illustrates the point with a case study of a five-year-old reader. (HB)

Describes a comprehension strategies instruction program called Students Achieving Independent Learning (SAIL). Relates the program to reader response and transactional theories of reading. Shows how the program works in one school system. Compares SAIL with basal series instruction programs. (HB)

Explores the considerable benefits of reading poetry, why poetry is often neglected, and some of the ways the author brings poetry and children together, making poetry an integral part of the curriculum. Offers a list of recommended poetry volumes, as well as a list of recommended professional reading/supporting poetry-instruction in the…

Describes how the author has her students create "found poems" and use them in conjunction with the students' own Readers/Writers Logs to help students make more of a text, own it, and discover the power of effective language. Includes instructions, student samples of found poems, and samples of the entire process. (SR)

Explores how word walls and the activities related to them function as conversational scaffolds and as visual scaffolds that help students take control of literacy skills and strategies. Describes word walls. Discusses purposes they serve, how to use them with beginning, developing, and struggling readers and writers. (SR)

Describes the English-reading development of Latino English learners who were members of the low reading group in a first-grade all-English classroom. Reveals that one boy's development was characterized by two relatively distinct phases, the first marked by plateaus and learning to play it safe and the second marked by cognitive shifts and a…

Notes the popularity of the science fiction/fantasy genre, and offers a definition of these genres. Discusses teachers' reluctance to read or teach science fiction, but emphasizes its appeal and its usefulness. Discusses how teachers can select and use good science fiction books. Offers a checklist for evaluating such books, and suggests 18…

Presents annotations of 37 selected recent research in the teaching of English and related fields. Addresses bilingual/foreign language education, discourse processes, literacy, professional development, reading, teaching and learning of literature, teaching and learning of writing, and technology and literacy. Notes that most of the studies…

Considers how standards and high-stakes testing corrupts instruction. Notes that the cyclic nature of scope-and-sequence standards, isolated instructional practices, and isolated items on tests is a closed system that has no authentic purpose beyond the academic hallways of schools. Concludes that reading and writing are individual acts at the…

A research project investigated the efficacy of reading methods utilized when a writer was on a sabbatical in the Shandong Province, People's Republic of China, teaching an Oral English Workshop for Chinese teachers of English at Yantai University. At the beginning of the project, students were assessed and placed into three levels based on their…

Intended as a practical planning and instructional tool, this teacher resource manual was developed to assist Alberta (Canada) classroom teachers to implement the high school Integrated Occupational English Language Arts Program. The manual contains: (1) additional information about the goals and objectives of the curriculum; (2) thematic contexts…

Information on current trends and issues informally discussed and then delineated by the directors of six National Council of Teachers of English commissions, is presented in this 11th annual report. The commissions and their directors are: (1) Commission on Curriculum (Dorothy King); (2) Commission on Language (Vivian I. Davis); (3) Commission on…

Suggesting that beginning reading should be a combination of phonics instruction along with the "whole word" approach, this book presents 56 brief and concentrated units of study that demonstrate that both systems can work together to improve the process of learning to read. In all units in the book, learners have the opportunity to read complete…

A research project was conducted in 1982 by Sacramento City College's Assessment Center to evaluate the effectiveness of selected English courses found in three levels of English: English 55 and 56 (the lowest level); English 57 (level two), and English 1A (level three). The study focused on students who had reading and English scores required for…

Two plans were developed to provide in-service training to teacher aides in a large urban school district: one, an intensive program involving 30 hours of training divided into five all-day sessions or 12 shorter sessions; the other, a year-long program providing a series of 17 two-week modules from which teacher aides could choose. This paper…