This text for pre-service and in-service English education courses presents current methods of teaching literature to middle and high school students. The methods are based on social constructivist/socio-cultural theories of literacy learning, and incorporate research on literary response conducted by the authors. "Teaching Literature to…

This kit is intended to provide parents of children with learning disabilities, particularly reading disorders, with appropriate information, tools, and references. The kit includes eight strategy-based booklets featuring steps to success, parent-child activities, frequently asked questions, and resources. The eight booklet titles are: (1)…

An action research project implemented a program for improving the reading skills of at-risk middle school students. The targeted population consisted of fifth- and seventh-grade students in a rural, middle class community located in northeastern Illinois. Evidence for the problem includes teacher observation, checklists, standardized tests, and…

This study, using data from the National Study of Student Learning, examined whether participation in a collegiate work-study program was related to cognitive educational benefits. Data were collected from 2,485 entering students at 23 institutions nationwide in the fall of 1992 with follow-up in the spring of 1993, of whom 494 (19.9 percent)…

This annual serial volume contains 22 articles offering practical pedagogical ideas from faculty at New Hampshire technical colleges. Section I, "Learners Conversing," includes "'Cheering': A Prelude to a Street Dweller," by Thomas Gorka; "Illusions of Fear: Unleashing My Writing," by Bruce Maville; and "Claremont's Writing Workshop," a transcript…

This study sought to locate excellent readers and excellent reading courses among majors and courses chosen by college freshmen at three postsecondary institutions: a private, residential, suburban, four-year liberal arts college with religious affiliation; a two-year public (commuter) community college outside the same metropolitan area; and an…

A study examined the results and effectiveness of a pilot Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. Fifteen New Hampshire school districts, including 29 different schools, participated in the first year of the program (school year 1990-91). A total of 223 first-grade children identified as being at risk of reading failure were served. Of these,…

A study examined the results and effectiveness of the third year of the Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. With the 50 Reading Recovery teachers from previous classes, 32 teachers in the new class, and 3 teacher leaders, a total of 85 teachers taught Reading Recovery during the 1992-93 school year. A total of 422 first-grade children…

This curriculum guide offers suggestions for reading improvement for grades K-12. Following an introduction and statement of philosophy, a section on the theoretical and research basis of the program outlines recommendations from the National Academy of Education's Commission on Education and Public Policy's "Becoming a Nation of…

Reading journals can help college readers successfully meet the demands of complex and sophisticated texts when students use them as a strategy for making meaning rather than simply extracting information. There are three primary reasons for using reading journals at the college level: (1) writing is a way of discovering when students are free to…

Children are faced with an increased potential for academic failure due to less stable family lives and career-oriented parents. Cross-cultural reading instruction practices and programs can provide insights that could prevent such failure for children at-risk. One such program is the reading maintenance program used in Denmark, wherein groups of…

A preliminary study investigated whether regular periods of sustained silent reading (SSR) would positively affect verified silent reading comprehension scores for eighth grade students. The hypothesis tested was that students allowed 15 minutes of recreational reading (reading self selected material for enjoyment) five times a week for three…

This yearbook consists of 14 articles dealing with the contributions of industrial arts to selected areas of education. Included among the articles presented are the following: "Industrial Arts and Its Contribution to the Education of the Elementary School Child," by Michael J. Williams; "Industrial Arts and Its Contribution in Assisting the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 18 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effects of phonemic segmentation and blending training on the word recognition performance of learning disabled readers; (2) a comparison of two remedial…

The reading activities collected in this handbook were used in parent workshops organized to increase the involvement of parents of Italian descent in teaching their children reading skills. The goal of the lessons was to increase parents' activities directed toward reading skills and to familiarize parents with what their children were learning…