This book addresses reading issues pertaining to college students at all levels, and is envisioned as an essay collection of interest to educators involved with college reading, as well as those in other disciplines. Section 1 (Perspectives) presents 4 essays, which describe how college readers perceive reading and writing: "'Josh': Case…

Finds that, when middle school students write about relevant personal experiences before reading, they enjoy and comprehend the text more, are more on-task, offer more sophisticated responses to characters, and like the texts more. (SR)

Sets up a contrast between the traditional pedagogical practices in secondary school and in whole language practices of elementary schools. Maintains that the level of interest and involvement being so much greater in elementary school argues strongly for reform in secondary schools. (TB)

Presents an interview with distinguished educator Louise Rosenblatt. Discusses teaching methods, reading processes, application of theory to practice, literature-based curriculum, and what she is working on now. (SR)

Suggests that the direct teaching of written language features is no substitute for extensive experience of written language. Gives a brief preliminary account of a recent Centre for Language in Primary Education (CLPE) research project on the influence of children's reading of literature on their writing at Key Stage 2. Highlights the value of…

Noting that teaching the research paper seldom gets below surface conventions, this book surveys the work of key theorists in rhetoric, past and present, and seeks to change the way teachers and students think about the relationship between writers and readers. Focusing on theorists who see the creation of knowledge as a social process, the book…

The authors of this essay regularly require students to engage in informal writing as a means to promote learning. One form of informal writing is the summary/reaction journal. In summary/reaction journals, students read a chapter or article, write a summary of that reading, and then react by offering their own insights and responses to the…

Reader-response journals were successfully employed in a "Reading Shakespeare" course for non-majors, making literary tradition accessible to students untrained in classical rhetoric. Students were encouraged to employ any combination of four approaches. First, students were invited to ask questions about the language, sequence of…

Offering activities for secondary school students and amateur creative writers, this book demonstrates how teachers can break out of "high culture" stereotypes that make students think poetry has no connection with real life. Part one discusses the essentials of poetry and the roles of poets from ancient oral cultures to the present. The…

Elements from literary, composition, and reader-response theory can be successfully combined in teaching an African-American literature class to college students of the dominant culture. Helping students to decode texts is of primary importance, best done by introducing students to the cultural codes used by minority writers to shape their themes.…

A study investigated the effects of writing in a personal and a formal mode on students' understanding of literary text. Formal text-based and personal reader-based writing samples produced by 65 tenth grade students in response to two stories from D. Sohn's "Ten Modern American Short Stories" were analyzed for quality of response,…

There appears to be a problem in the way students in introductory, nonmajor literature courses read poetry that affects the way they write about it. One widely accepted belief among students is that there is a hidden but identifiable meaning in the poem that they are supposed to discover. The problem with this strategy is that most students lack…

Describes the Directed Reading-Writing Activity (DRWA) as a framework that helps high school students write about the information they acquire through reading. Discusses how the DRWA's three steps--preparation, involvement, and reaction--extends the thought processes associated with reading comprehension into effective writing. (AEW)

Argues that, although a little daily practice substantially improves reading proficiency, reading should be viewed as only the beginning of the literature experience. Suggests that interactions with books can continue through many other forms of response. Annotates 22 examples of children's books that invite dramatization, writing, art, music,…

Investigates readers' response patterns to informative documents. Finds that readers make direct confirmations and positive comprehension evaluations when information is conveyed clearly; when understanding is impaired, readers seek more clearly established relationships in the text. Concludes that readers make evaluative suggestions that…