This article explores the possibilities of graphic novels with young readers. During the 2009-2010 school year, while working with four fifth-grade students, the author examined the question "In what ways do readers engage while reading a graphic novel?" The fifth graders took part in book discussions and one-on-one interviews after reading two…

Comprehension has often been conceptualized in ways that privilege either the "right" understanding of a text (comprehension-as-outcome), or getting to that "right" understanding (comprehension-as-procedure). This article makes a case that we should, instead, teach with an eye toward fostering comprehension-as-sense-making--a socially purposeful…

The journey of one third-grade teacher, Karla Peterson, as she implemented literature discussion groups for the first time, highlighting the ways she moved through this transition, supported students in their struggles, and renegotiated her role in the process is shared. Focus is made on the transition period when literature discussions move from…

Discusses in depth the kinds of trust within classroom communities that make reader-response groups work (trust between teachers and students, trust among students, and students having trust in themselves). (SR)

Investigates how teacher talk and social interaction influence children's discussions, by comparing the talk occurring within literature circles in fourth-grade classrooms where teachers were and were not present. Discusses the four roles teachers took (facilitators, participants, mediators, and active listeners). Notes strategies students used to…

Focuses on five fifth-grade students for whom student-led literature discussion was not working. Tells what happened when all five of the students were put in one group, and shows that students who seemed to be resistant eventually engaged themselves with the books they were reading. (SR)

Presents annotations of approximately 80 web sites that range in coverage from idiosyncratic and focused to diverse and comprehensive metasites. Notes categories of sites include: children's literature web guides; trade book publisher web sites; author/illustrator sites (metasites and individual); book review sources and teaching ideas; web sites…

The article details the transformation of one literature discussion group reading the story, Felita, by Nicholosa Mohr. The research study documented the process of implementing literature discussion groups with multicultural children's literature in a fourth grade English language arts classroom. Through a discussion of a critical incident in the…