Guided reading is used in classrooms across the country and, while it is fairly new, it is anything but revolutionary. In this article, and in honor of the 50th volume of "Reading Horizons," the authors take a look back at the 50-year history of this practice, provide a definition of guided reading, analyze what caused the practice to…

Discusses reluctance to alter the basal lesson format and why teachers should do so. Presents four approaches to altering basal lessons and their benefits. (SR)

Examines biographies presented in five of the most popular basal reading series. Finds that the great majority of the biographical selections appeared in only one series. Concludes that there is no core of agreement about who receives biographical coverage in basals. (RS)

Outlines the history of teaching manuals regarding lesson plans, vocabulary, teacher directions, primers, preprimers, prereaders, selections, supplementary materials, and multiethnic concerns. States that, although no manual can take the place of a well-prepared teacher, most provide suggestions and supplementary materials which can be valuable to…

Offers guidelines for evaluating basal reading series when two series are to be adopted. (HTH)

Provides the administrator with guidelines for use in evaluating teachers' implementations of basal reader programs. (HOD)

Discusses the problems of overusing workbooks, dittos, and basal assessment tests in beginning reading instruction. Proposes alternatives. (FL)

Suggests seven value clarification exercises based on situations in basal reading series in which characters could have acted, thought, or felt differently. (MKM)

Reports that (1) the most common organizational pattern used by teachers for reading instruction is to divide the class into three subgroups and (2) students rarely move from one group to another. (FL)

Finds that the most common type of figurative language in fourth- and sixth-grade basal readers is personification. Overall, the most commonly used figures of speech are: personification; animal, sense, and inanimate metaphors; and hyperbole. (FL)

Draws a parallel between the experience of learning to read and write in a first and a second language. Notes that the experience of learning through an approach that permits talking, reading, and writing freely is satisfying whereas the experience with a text-based approach to learning is much less satisfactory. (RS)

Examines the effectiveness of the basal reader selection process in one midwestern school district. Concludes that an effective basal reader selection process is one which results in teachers identifying materials that help bring about the type of reading instruction they seek for their classrooms. (MG)

Notes that boys continue to be portrayed in reading materials in activities stereotypically associated with males, such as sports, adventure, and leadership; suggests that reading materials are needed that show boys in nurturing and expressive roles as well. (MKM)

Describes a study of the relationship between creative dramatics and reading comprehension in which those students who had performed a dramatic presentation of a story answered more inferential questions correctly than did those who had not engaged in the reenactment. (HTH)

Examines nine basal series to determine the number of stories featuring ethnic groups. Concludes that no one series offers more ethnic content than another. (FL)