In order to minimize the dread which students and teachers alike often feel toward freshman composition courses, it is important to involve students in reading and writing assignments which are of interest and importance to them. Autobiography, as a subject for study and a focus for writing, can be a great motivator and an expediter of the…

A study was made in Wisconsin of knowledge gains by participants in two Cooperative Extension Service educational activities (soil management and cooking for many) organized and presented by the in-depth teaching approach, and of selected factors thought to have an effect on the amount of knowledge gained. Gains were categorized as low (1%-49%…

Discusses collaboration between secondary school teacher-librarians and English teachers to promote literacy and reading through choice book units, where students can choose from a selection of suggested titles. Topics include nonfiction books; advantages for low-ability readers; audio books; and Teachers as Readers book discussion groups. (LRW)

This study investigated the effects of autobiographical writing before reading on ninth graders' discussion and understanding of two short stories. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of audiotaped class discussion revealed that students who had written about relevant personal experience before reading were more substantively engaged in…

Presents an eighth-grade classroom where students collaborated with the teacher to decide how to designate time spent on reading, creative writing, and journal writing. Discusses needs assessment, student suggestions, choosing the solution, and implementation. A sidebar outlines student-determined writers' workshop, readers' workshop, and…

Using a reading lesson designed for advanced university students in Brazil, the author discusses different types of exercises that can help students become more active readers and be more critical about the reading materials. The author distinguishes between passive and active reading tasks and argues that active tasks are more beneficial because…

This document presents a study unit on Australia for secondary school students. A student reading examines Australia's cultural conflicts, history, 20th century development, and recent government policy. Australia's commitment to multiculturalism, the benefits of immigration, and the prospects for the future are also explored. The teacher's…

The reading exercises in this workbook cover the general areas of letter recognition; basic phonics; word structure (including common phonograms, compound words, contractions, possessives, plural forms, and suffixes); vocabulary (including identifying picture names, rhyming words, and word meanings); study skills (including following directions,…

Intended for all teachers in middle and secondary schools, this handbook provides samples and models to help develop activities that improve students' reading skills. A practical guide, it answers specific questions about reading and suggests activities that teachers can adapt to the specific texts and concerns of their subject area. Each section…

THE IDENTIFICATION STORY IS AN ORIGINAL, OR ADAPTED, TEACHER-PREPARED TALE IN WHICH STUDENTS ARE CAST, ALWAYS SYMPATHETICALLY. THE IMAGE STORY IS WRITTEN BY THE TEACHER FOR A CLASS, SMALL GROUP, OR INDIVIDUAL IN AN ATTEMPT TO CAST EACH STUDENT IN A POSITIVE IMAGE THE STUDENT PREFERS. THE STUDENT-CREATED ANTHOLOGY IS A BOOKLET OF FICTIONAL, TRUE…

TO DETERMINE WHY ONE-THIRD OF THE STUDENTS ENROLLING IN CORRESPONDENCE WORK DURING ANY CALENDAR YEAR DO NOT COMPLETE THE COURSES AND TO ELICIT SUGGESTIONS FOR REDUCING THE NUMBER OF DROPOUTS AND CANCELLATIONS, QUESTIONNAIRES WERE MAILED TO 762 CORRESPONDENCE STUDY DROPOUTS. DATA FROM THE 135 QUESTIONNAIRES RETURNED ARE TABULATED IN THIS STUDY.…

A course on free enterprise, part of a high school career curriculum project, is outlined. Seventy-two objectives for the course are listed. An introduction establishes the purpose of studying free enterprise, a state required course, in terms of learning citizenship responsibilities and gaining knowledge of a private enterprise economy. Four…

Describes the use of peer grouping and the puzzle-solving format of a popular television game show to help students explore literary themes and compose a paper. (HTH)

To identify specific instructional features prompting meaningful change among teacher candidates, this literature review evaluated studies that examined the influence of teacher education coursework on preservice teachers' conceptions and practices. Literature came from books and from journals published between 1992-96. The review examined whether…

Recommends establishing literature study groups as early as the primary grades. Outlines the steps for implementing a group and describes several classroom experiences with them. Includes a discussion of follow-up activities, and a bibliography of related works. (MJP)