This report describes a program for improving students' attitudes toward reading. The targeted population consisted of second and third grade students in a growing middle class community. The problem of the lack of interest in reading and the poor quality of classroom work were evident in parent and student surveys, and teacher observations.…

A summer reading program can be designed to attract not just those teenagers who love to read, but also nonreaders who have yet to experience the joy of reading. This book gathers from library literature and previously unpublished accounts of recent programs and provides information about different kinds of summer reading programs designed…

Intended to encourage young people to read, this 140-item annotated bibliography features books chosen because they are distinguished in their categories, have broken new ground in children's publishing, or were written for adults only to be taken by children as their own. The list is presented in 4 age groups: preschool to age 7; middle readers,…

Many people do not recognize reading development as a continuum, but the literacy needs of the adolescent reader are far different from those of primary-grade children. This position paper discusses some of those literacy needs and outlines seven principles supporting adolescents' literacy growth. Adolescents deserve: (1) access to a wide variety…

Considering the necessity to facilitate the optimal development of reading ability, and the cooperation of the community, family, school, student, and teacher, this paper presents Washington State's Essential Academic Learning Requirements in Reading as a way to encourage equal access to excellent reading instruction and opportunities to learn for…

This brochure for parents reflects the position statement "Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children," jointly issued by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the International Reading Association (IRA). The brochure discusses ten simple suggestions for parents…

Based on the premise that preschool and school settings fail to take into account children's popular cultural interests when developing curriculum content, this study explored the potential of popular culture for motivating young children to engage in literacy and oracy practices. Participating were 94 three- and four-year-olds in two nurseries in…

This research described strategies used to improve the reading fluency of students. The targeted populations consisted of first, second, and third grade classes from middle class communities located in the Midwest. Evidence for the existence of this problem included teacher observation, parent surveys, and lack of progress shown on reading…

Noting that the questions of when and how to teach beginning reading are among the most controversial in early childhood education, this chapter examines how young children develop as readers. The chapter begins with a focus on the emergent literacy perspective for the insights it provides into young children's reading and writing development. The…

The Early Childhood Project is a longitudinal investigation of contexts in which children from different sociocultural groups learn to read. Data collected from 41 families showed some consistency between parental beliefs on fostering reading development (entertainment versus skills perspective) and nature of experiences made available to…

Providing rich supply of high-interest story books is more feasible policy for literacy education than urgent exhortations to improve teacher quality. Free reading profoundly improves students' reading and writing ability, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary. The quality of a country s or state's school libraries significantly predicts its reading…

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)

Teachers must make changes in their reading programs that reflect a desire for students to compose lives in which reading matters. Strategies presented include getting serious about independent reading, building a literate environment, making every child bookish, setting up reading partnerships, and ideas for home-school reading support. (SM)

Discussion of the mission and roles of library media programs and teacher-librarians focuses on promoting books and reading, through which students become effective users of ideas. Highlights include reading proficiency; reading advocacy options; motivation approaches, including the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model;…

Explains a strategy that school librarians can use to transform their programs into vibrant elements of K-12 education. Discusses articulating a vision and an agenda, including information literacy instruction, reading advocacy, and information management; strategic management and planning, including flexibility and using a systems approach; and…