One hundred percent literacy is a relatively modern goal. According to The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago (n.d.), writing was invented in 3200 BC. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution, in the 19th century, that large numbers of ordinary people began to read and write. Today, most people believe that becoming a…

This article focuses on young children's misinterpretations of storybook illustrations. Examples of misinterpretations drawn from preschool classrooms are presented and analyzed to explain four kinds of confusion that are typically involved. Based on these analyses, the authors argue that young children are capable of the reasoning required to…

As a first and second grade teacher at a public, progressive, East Village school, the word assessment is a daily part of the author's life. Assessment means watching and knowing the children in all areas. It is figuring out, as effectively as possible, how their minds and personalities work. Though she has found a place in her teaching for…

In these days of increased testing and continued failure of inner-city and poor rural schools to meet the grade, it is becoming more and more necessary to turn to the public library to help students reach the ever-increasing goals being set for them. It seems somewhat unfair to hold the schools solely responsible for continued failure when the…

This article presents practical, research-based strategies for parents to use when reading with their child. The intended audience is classroom teachers and reading specialists who work with parents of the children they teach. Each strategy provides supporting research, followed by a description of how the strategy can be implemented by parents.…

Kindergarten teacher typed children's stories as they were dictated to her because it offered the children an opportunity to articulate ideas, practice using language effectively, weave pleasing stories, and create bonds between children and adults. (DF)

Explores the assumptions about their readers implied by two children's novels, one admired by adults and one by children, and considers how such attitudes are fostered in early childhood. (HOD)

Discusses Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development and suggests procedures both for analyzing moral issues in a story and for discussing these issues with children. (DD)

Discusses how all children need the kind of hope that stories can give them. Suggests that educators and writers have been given the responsibility for nourishing the spiritual and intellectual lives of children. Describes the author's life growing up in a difficult time and how literature gave her hope as a child. (SC)

Reveals that story grammar research has provided educators with new insights into how children comprehend simple stories. Describes evidence for the existence of story schema, presents results of developmental story grammar research, and recommends teaching strategies based on the research. (RWB)

States that although storytelling is among the oldest arts in the world, it is ageless and anyone who is willing to spend some time and energy to look for the right story, learn it well, and share it with others can become a successful storyteller. (DF)

Discusses the complexity of the experiences dealt with by young children in story telling, their mastery of techniques and literary forms, and the relationships between the stories and the story teller's own life. (DD)

Twenty-four caregivers and their 2- to 4-year-old children took part in a storybook reading task in which caregivers taught children novel labels for familiar objects. Findings indicate parental speech could provide a rich source of information to children in learning how different lexical categories are expressed in their native language.…

Considers the stories that children read, hear, and make part of their lives. Focuses on the text with the understanding that texts live only when read by a person in a particular context. (MG)

Reviews 10 of the 20 "Hob Stories" written by William Mayne. Discusses characteristics of the stories and compares them to the books Mayne has written for older children. (MG)