Introducing children to well written and beautifully illustrated books will help build basic skills while providing for the aesthetic need for beauty and pleasure. This lesson is designed as an integrated literature and visual arts lesson, revolving around the story book, "Owl Moon," written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John…

Fables and trickster stories are short narratives that use animal characters with human features to convey folk wisdom and to help people understand human nature and human behavior. These stories were originally passed down through oral tradition and were eventually written down. These lesson plans are intended for students in grades 3-5 and…

The curriculum projects in this collection represent the culmination of a Fulbright-Hays summer seminar for educators which took place in China in 2001. The collection contains 16 curriculum projects: "Notes on Giving a Presentation to a Parents Group, School Board or Other Public Audience Regarding Modern China" (David Bilka);…

Intended for teachers of grades 2-6, this book offers methods to help students become lifelong readers. The book's instructions include emphasizing respect for the readers' choices of books and their own unique response to the literature. Information is intended to promote thoughtful analysis of what has been read and to validate readers'…

This paper presents descriptions of the 10 best young adult novels (and teaching suggestions) appropriate for studying the Holocaust in the middle school. Each description begins with a summary and "hook" that can be used with students, and then ends with discussion for the teacher about reading abilities and applications in the…

This multimedia program (a CD-ROM and a teacher's guide) features reading comprehension activities to encourage students to read for meaning. It includes exercises for 100 intermediate level books that are commonly available in classrooms or libraries. The program provides 20 "island destinations" that contain activities that assess comprehension,…

This guide to the best books for children published in Australia in 2001 represents the choice of the judges of the Children's Book Council of Australia. The guide presents a shortlist of books in all award categories except that of Older Readers. It provides discussion points for exploring each book, enabling teachers and learners to focus on…

This paper describes an elective course at Taiwan's Wen Tzao Ursuline College of Modern Languages, "Concise English Poetry Appreciation and Recitation." The course is based on the reader response approach and targets third year students, leading them into the world of poetry through various stages (traditional nursery rhymes and simple,…

This book sheds prescriptive teaching for listening to children. It is the work of an experienced, practicing teacher with a sound interpretation of first-grade children, giving insight and examples of children and a teacher learning together. This second edition incorporates stories from the author/educator and learning from her new experiences…

This teacher's guide for public television's 3-part adaptation of Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist" provides information that will help enrich students' viewing of the series, whether or not they read the novel. The guide includes a wide range of discussion and activity ideas; there is also a series Web site and a list of Web resources.…

Investigates whether increasing the African American experience in U.S. textbooks promotes significant knowledge increases of that group, and if this improves white racial attitudes towards African Americans. Explores the effect of teachers' utilization of the textbook's technology on knowledge acquisition and attitude change. Results show the…

Argues that only by reading the same piece of literature at the same time, or by rereading jointly a passage from a work read earlier and in solitude, can students learn what reading strategies other readers use. Argues that reading can be assigned without destroying the spirit and energy of the reading/writing community. (RS)

Presents a case study of a learning disabilities teacher who struggled with the traditional instructional approaches and who adopted a literature-based, whole language program. Presents the teachers' reflective comments along with references from the literature of whole language researchers and theorists. (RS)

Describes whole language reading workshops used in eighth grade classrooms. Notes that workshops consist of three components: time to read, ownership through self-selection, and opportunities to respond to the reading through dialogue journals. (MG)

Addresses the relationship between reader response and culture. Presents portraits of a teacher and her Black students and White students as they studied a series of African American literary texts, including Virginia Hamilton's "House of Dies Drear" (1968). The reading of this text marked a turning point for the teacher and students.…