First in a series of columns on helping children develop content area literacy. Promotes the 3W3H strategy, a framework of "what" and "how" questions to help students approach content-area assignments. (ET)

Maintains that 40% of 13-year-old students and 16% of 18-year-old students have not acquired intermediate reading skills. Asserts that teachers must strengthen students' motivation if they are to help them improve literacy skills. Recommends classroom activities and reading materials on this topic. (CFR)

Maintains that the inclusion of scholarship about women's history has not proceeded as vigorously in secondary schools as in colleges. Asserts that resources to incorporate women's history into high school curriculum are widely available. Identifies books by Anzia Yezierska and Charlotte Perkins Gilman. (CFR)

Effects of a summary skills learning strategy on the comprehension of science text were examined with five elementary-age urban minority students with learning disabilities participating in a summer remedial program. The strategy produced clear improvement in comprehension which was associated with similar improvements in the completeness of the…

Asserts that social studies is a natural medium for teaching cross-cultural understanding and making education more meaningful for students from different ethnic, social, or cultural backgrounds. Presents a bibliographical essay including recommended teacher and student resources on issues related to multiculturalism and national unity. (CFR)

Two methods of delivering direct instruction to preservice teachers were compared. Students (n=37) in a reading course learned the Directed Reading Activity (DRA) via lecture and discussion; 37 others learned with videotape and related practice. The latter group retained and used DRA knowledge better over a longer period. (Author/SM)

Asserts that stereotypes about Native Americans may override more accurate information presented by teachers or found in textbooks. Recommends the use of children's literature to achieve recognized social studies goals. Includes a lesson plan with three tables, teaching instructions, and suggested children's literature. (CFR)

Reports on a teacher-education course that emphasized the use of the visual arts in promoting content area reading. Local art museum personnel and teacher-education faculty identified works that could invoke discussions in certain content areas of specialization. Students used these as a basis for their papers. (MJP)

With the current intensity surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act, science has moved to the back burner at many schools. Educators everywhere are allotting less time for science. Many teachers have adapted by bringing reading and writing into the science program, but more often than not this has meant using science textbooks to teach the…

Developed as part of the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, these modules contain materials for improving listening skills that are designed to be used in conjunction with a commercial training video in a required 8-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety course. The first module, which is designed to…

Reflecting concern for the myriad problems resulting from the presence of poor readers in secondary schools today, this book shows content area teachers why they must and how they can improve students' reading deficiencies. The book provides an explanation of reading skills and learning difficulties in a quick and easy format; activities to…

The 55 conference papers, the annual review of research, and the student-award-winning paper in this yearbook cover such diverse topics in the field of reading as assessment, content-area reading, early literacy, teacher education, teacher behavior, and construction of meaning through writing. The yearbook opens with the presidential address to…

This compilation presents material relating to the ReCaRe (Reading and Content-area Resource) program, a one-semester elective course for secondary school students of all ability levels designed to develop their reading comprehension, vocabulary, rate of reading, and study skills. The first part of the compilation is a 48-page booklet entitled…

Noting that many teachers and some states have abandoned traditional testing methods of public school students in favor of authentic and performance-based assessment, this paper shares alternative assessment methods used by two teacher educators. After a brief introduction to the issues of authentic assessment in reading education courses, the…

An Israeli study determined what happens when persons with low-literacy levels read news accounts that presuppose general knowledge that the writer expects them to have, but that they may not necessarily possess. The study sample consisted of about 600 students, mostly women, in 30 literacy centers throughout the country. In each class, adult…