Discusses ways in which reader response journals can be useful as a teaching method. (SRT)

Discusses how seeing relationships between past texts and the current text influences reading comprehension. Shows how teachers can expand the scope of meanings students construct by (1) organizing texts in ways that promote relationships such as complementary texts, conflicting texts, controlling texts, synoptic texts, and dialogic texts; and (2)…

Looks at reading as a transaction between the reader, the text, and the reading situation that leads to the construction of meaning that is particular to that reading. Describes L. Rosenblatt's ideas about reading stances, efferent and aesthetic. Discusses instructional implications of aiding children in their creation of individual meanings in…

Provides a theoretical framework for thinking about how students read literature through the notions of envisionment-building and stories. Discusses possibilities for instruction. (MG)

Examines the role of readers' subjectivity or personal responses in story interpretation, specifically in the formation of thematic generalizations. (MG)

Examines miscue analysis as a valuable tool for documenting what students already do well, so that instruction can build on areas of strength. (RAE)

Argues that students develop new reading strategies in order to construct meaning from electronic text. Discusses why reading electronic text is different, and argues that there is historical precedence for this shifting role of the reader. Outlines strategies for helping students reflect on the differences between hypertext and traditional text…

Describes a method used to teach freshman students how to make research a conscious part of their reading and writing processes, by helping them use their personal associations with a text and their questions about a text, to compose meaning and become conscious of the activities they are performing. (HTH)

Lists four characteristics of strategic readers: establishing goals, selecting appropriate strategies, monitoring comprehension, and displaying a positive attitude toward reading. Discusses how these characteristics provide readers with the necessary skills to profit fully from the reading process. (MG)

Notes that in the fourth grade, readers begin a transitional period where emphasis shifts from experiential reading to include informational and expository material. Discusses reading in the different content areas--English, history, mathematics, and science--and asserts that teachers should spend more time preparing students to read in these…

Argues that as reading is taught increasingly as a tool, the delight that comes from personal literacy is becoming obscured. Argues that bringing personal values and experiences to poetry is an important way for students to discover the meaning of a poem. Describes how students can "map" their reading journey. (RS)

Argues that the way teachers and students transact with a piece of literature needs to change if teachers are to change the way students read and see themselves as readers. Suggests teachers need to support a variety of responses and avoid the tendency to reduce discussion to a search for a single main idea. Includes a brief response by Susan…

Research discoveries over the past 15 years concerning reading comprehension have had a significant impact on reading instruction, particularly schema theory. This theory, based on prior learning, which states that the reader uses the text to construct a meaning within his or her own mind, affects what teachers can do to help students improve…

Asserts that students engage--successfully or unsuccessfully--in dialogues with the curriculum as well as with their texts. Discusses the nature of that dialogue, and the relationship between a reader and the written text. Concludes that the reading dialogue is a vital aspect in the child-curriculum encounter. (MM)

Argues that the secret behind truly powerful learning lies in developing students' metacognitive abilities. Presents an overview of the role of formative assessment in learning to read and in reading to learn. Discusses some research-based instructional techniques useful in helping students take executive control of the reading act. (SR)