A practicum addressed the problem of 8 second and third grade nonindependent readers (students at a small private school) who were not choosing to read library books. The literature review disclosed using sustained silent reading, sharing responses to reading and planning for more available time to read in the classroom and at home as viable ways…

By analyzing the survey responses of almost 600 fifth and sixth graders, this study points to existing discrepancies between what most public librarians consider a young adult and what the youths consider themselves. Building on past research in the field of education, the writer points out that schools have done much to examine the phenomena of…

The central role of teachers' interpretive assessments in guiding the growth of young writers is explored. Theories of reader response and literary criticism have been used to design a framework that integrates what is read with what is written. The current context of writing assessment is explored, and some of the other authors' efforts to…

A teacher-researcher observed the behaviors and discourse of second graders in a student-led literature discussion group. A group of five students who represented the predominantly white, rural/suburban middle class community in which they lived was studied. All 22 students participated in a unit on folk and fairy tales. The case study group,…

Intended for teachers of grades K-2, this book aims to inspire students with the award-winning art and stories found in Caldecott books. The book uses Caldecott winners as springboards to provide lively, literature-based learning experiences--from projects that encourage children's own artistic expression to fun and creative activities that…

Many students think of poetry as a meaning to be figured out, a puzzle to be solved--as if poets were forever doomed to write only what they never quite mean and to mean what they never actually write. The struggle to discover meaning becomes acute with that distinctly modern poetry created by T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, and their…

Intended to encourage teachers and students to take a fresh look at children's literature, this practical collection of ideas offers plot summaries and suggests teaching strategies for 57 notable children's books. Books in the collection were chosen "outstanding trade books" by a National Council of Teachers of English committee on trade…

Combining the theoretical with the practical, this book discusses what whole language is and how it can be used in the high school and college classroom. The book suggests that whole language is not grade specific, but rather a philosophy that can help teachers at any level formulate a perspective about teaching and learning based on current…

Composition classes at East Georgia College, a two-year college in the University System of Georgia, use some literature and literary discussions without compromising the "integrity" of the composition course. Cultural backgrounds of students are similar--most come from non-reading homes, and some say they have never read a whole book.…

The protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Young Goodman Brown" misinterprets experiences that befall him because he cannot escape what Jean Piaget calls "egocentrism"--lack of awareness of anything outside one's immediate experience. Today's college students, reading Hawthorne, misinterpret the story, since they too…

Focusing on recent composition theory, this paper offers suggestions for writing teachers in applying concepts of dialogic discourse directly to the pedagogy of the college writing course. The first section of the paper addresses the influence of the social constructionist work on interpretation theory by Richard Rorty, Clifford Geertz, and…

A study was conducted to identify strategies used by successful readers in comprehending and interpreting various kinds of texts. Seventy-three graduate students were asked to keep a journal (unedited and freely written) of what they were thinking as they were reading Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose." Selected journal entries…

To explore how instruction in questioning can enhance teachers' use of questions that promote comprehension and how teachers' instruction of students in such strategies can enhance their ability to comprehend content area texts independently, this paper looks at prereading, during-reading, and postreading questioning activities. The first major…

Acknowledging children's need for informal conversation, the staff of an eastern elementary school began a reading incentive program to encourage children to read for fun and to increase their leisure by providing a listening ear while they told someone about the books they had read. Adult volunteers were recruited to listen to children's…

Specific social groups express themselves through their own particularized media. For example, "MS" magazine directs its communication to feminist readers, and as a part of this, regularly reprints advertisements and news clipping taken from mainstream media in its "No Comment" section. This section provides opportunities for…