Shows that students can be made aware of their "illusion of knowing" text material by having them read a three-paragraph factual passage with a carefully inserted phrase near the end which contradicts the main point of the passage. Notes that few students recognized the contradiction and that discussion afterward raised awareness of the…

Describes the "Textbook Awareness and Performance Profile," an interview procedure for teachers or reading specialists to identify students strengths and weaknesses in reading and understanding textbooks. Offers guidelines for use, includes the instrument itself, and discusses its application to instruction. (SR)

Assesses text comprehension of secondary Turkish and Dutch pupils in relation to vocabulary, grammar, nonverbal IQ, and background knowledge. Finds that the L2-readers tended toward a top-down approach to reading. Finds a significant increase in scores for word knowledge and nonverbal IQ but no progress in the scores for text comprehension. (SR)

Finds that experienced high school teachers become freer in the ways they use their content area textbooks, and that they are more likely to teach students how to use the text. Shows that in schools where teachers choose the textbooks, teachers make the most use of the textbook for assigned reading. (SR)

Provides a brief introduction to ways functional grammatical concepts can be used to understand the distinctive literacy demands of school science and history texts. Distinguishes this grammar from that of everyday language; examines the characteristic grammatical and discourse forms of content area learning; and discusses developing functional…

Notes that teachers and students with and without disabilities often struggle to use history textbooks effectively. Explores current concerns (e.g. text structure, readability) regarding history textbooks and provides recommendations for modifying instruction to improve students' acquisition of history knowledge. Reports adaptations in content and…

Discusses how students cite two difficulties that consistently get in the way of their success during content reading: boring texts and too many difficult words. Suggests the use of graphic organizers that help learners break down information they would have overlooked because it seemed too abstract or difficult. Concludes that the best resource…

Explores complexities of plotting the transition from the term "content area reading" to "adolescent literacy" through the content of a preservice content area literacy class. Uses students' online discussions as data. Compares results to work in adolescent literacy in Australia. Suggests examination of potential barriers and benefits of…

Describes the goals and nature of school mathematics reform and the philosophy and nature of the constructivist classroom. Suggests that math teachers who are interested in creating reformed classrooms can look to constructivist theories of learning and content-area literacy theories and methods to provide the structure needed to make reform…

While reading teachers have routinely introduced pre-reading activation strategies for decades, literature teachers are trained to become expert on what happens after reading, to be adept at follow-up, to be agile with close analysis of an already finished reading experience. As a result of a presentation by a reading specialist, a veteran…

Discusses the role of the content teacher in preparing students to read and comprehend their instructional materials. (RB)

Describes six content area reading programs with an interdisciplinary approach to teaching reading skills. (RB)

In its analysis of the reality presented in Harold Pinter's television play, the article bases itself on the pupils' everyday experience and demonstrates that the significance of the dramatic reality appears only with the interaction of text and recipient. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The prefaces of textbooks have considerable value as aids in helping students profit more from their reading. But they are frequently ignored by most young readers and rarely if ever assigned by teachers in a formal manner as aids to instruction. A model teaching unit originally using a social studies text can lead students to see the value of a…

Eighty high school students enrolled in social studies classrooms participated in a study exploring the hypothesis that field dependence-independence is a perceptual dimension of cognitive style influencing text structure variables and the quality of free recall. Based on results of a test of field dependence/independence, 10 subjects served in…