Characters in children's books can help to guide readers through stories, contributing to deepened understandings of plot and themes. The authors discuss why characters become vivid and lasting in readers' minds, the ways in which students are often asked to think about characters in classroom literature study, and how students' understanding of…

Diverse procedures need to be used to appraise pupil progress in reading achievement, because it takes different approaches to appraise in a comprehensive manner what pupils have learned in reading. There is much to evaluate, including knowledge acquired, skills developed, and attitudes fostered. Approaches which might be used include: (1)…

Describes a coding system to motivate and assess students' journal entries as they respond to books they are reading. Argues that coded journal entries are an effective means for diagnosing reading comprehension difficulties. Contends that coding journal entries permits the students to become more conscious of their reading processes. (RS)