In joint partnership, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners have developed a Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards. The Toolkit is a set of interrelated, freely available instruments for evaluating alignment to the CCSS; each…

In joint partnership, Achieve, The Council of Chief State School Officers, and Student Achievement Partners have developed a Toolkit for Evaluating the Alignment of Instructional and Assessment Materials to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Toolkit is a set of interrelated, freely available instruments for evaluating alignment to the…

Argues that the use of literature in elementary schools has been shown to promote achievement in reading, positive attitudes toward reading, social understanding, and content area learning. Describes five literature-based classroom reading programs which differentially arrange the organizational variables of whole-class, small-group, and…

Reviews research on literature discussion groups, which suggests that groups allow readers to bring personal experiences to and take meaning from books, and young readers come to deeper levels of understanding. Discusses the use of literature groups in a kindergarten classroom, focusing on the teacher's use of and responses to literature, and the…

Explores the appeal of historical fiction for young readers and describes its place within any school curriculum. Describes a project in Dorset Middle Schools which used historical fiction to teach medieval history and English. Notes that students' historical thinking was improved, their knowledge of medieval world advanced, and their writing was…

Provides a brief introduction to recent research in spelling (on the nature of English orthography and the development of spelling ability), and suggestions for further reading. Describes a writing center spelling workshop of four sessions which aims to produce successful writers who have learned to cope with being poor spellers. (SR)

Describes the Dublin model, a program which uses thematic units or individualized reading assignments to focus on popular adolescent literature and includes projects that demonstrate students' comprehension of text. Discusses the formulation, implementation, and assessment of this program. (RS)

Newspaper media provide one way to motivate students' parents to be in tune with the whys, the hows, the wherefores, and the importance of reading. For example, in the Phoenixville Area School District (Pennsylvania), the reading department writes a monthly column for parents in the local newspaper. The column's topics are based on data gathered…

Describes an English class designed to help high school seniors learn more about reading and to provide them with a knowledge of children's literature so that they can someday lead their children to literacy. (AEA)

The Reading Challenge project was designed to help students make the transition from picture books to reading and choosing age-appropriate chapter books for recreational reading. This project was conducted throughout the school year with students rotating through different chapter books, usually completing 2 books and related activities each…

This document describes a teacher-developed, elementary school level program that teaches conflict resolution through children's literature. This is a whole language/peace education program in which children learn creative ways to solve conflicts by reading and writing stories about conflicts. The document opens with a reproduction of the program…

This is the report of a project designed to train secondary school teachers and other ethnic studies personnel in Hawaii in the area of Asian American literature so as to enhance their understanding of ethnic identity, interethnic relations, and the process of American multiculturalism. The project performance report includes a description of a…

This video workshop introduces teachers to ethnically diverse American writers and offers dynamic instructional strategies and resources to make works meaningful for students. It includes eight one-hour videos in which teachers model effective approaches--based on reader response, critical inquiry, cultural studies, and critical pedagogy--for…

Designed for middle or high school students in Marlboro Township, Marlboro, New Jersey, the teen authors program involves students in the writing, editing, illustration and "publication" of children's books. The instructional unit takes 2 to 3 weeks to complete and culminates with an "author's day" where the student authors…

Describes an oral literature program that motivated children to read more and better books, provided them with meaningful, literature-centered reading and listening practice; expanded their knowledge of their literary heritage; enhanced their reading comprehension; and sharpened their reading, vocabulary, and listening skills. (FL)