An instructional strategy for teaching comprehension of literature was tested with seven high school students with learning disabilities. The strategy taught story grammar through use of short stories and the paradigm of modeling/guided practice/independent practice. Students showed improved story comprehension. (Author/JDD)

Social stories and comic strip conversations were successfully used to teach social skills to a 14-year-old student with Asperger Syndrome. As a result of the training, the student's behavior changed. The student enjoyed using comic strip conversations and began to request their use from others at school and home. (Contains references.) (CR)

This paper examines children's preferences and understanding of stories and story elements by analyzing an extensive collection of art, writing, and teacher observations of one child, Virginia. The paper traces the progession of Virginia's understanding of character, setting, action/plot, and preference for fairy tale structures as evidenced in…

Examines how the use of self-directed training materials and limited inservice training improved the quality of teaching the Direct Reading-Thinking Activity. Concludes that teachers' verbal behavior in directing story reading can be easily modified. (MM)

Highlights qualitative studies from two preschools that view the framework of literacy use as socially constructed and embedded in social and cultural perspectives and practices of communities. Suggests ways to strengthen early-childhood programs, including greater use of writing and drawing materials readily available, additional orientation to…