Teachers and school librarians know that giving students the freedom to choose what to read from a variety of materials is the most effective way to foster a love of reading. Curiosity, pre-existing interests, or even a desire for connection cause students to reach for books that inform instead of entertain. But a genre of books is often left out…

Teachers' choices as they select texts have long been explored and considered by researchers. However, within such scholarship, there is limited research about how teachers, particularly Black women teachers, navigate the gauntlet of whitewashed standards, hegemonic curriculs, and dehumanizing school spaces to select texts that affirm students and…

In "Intentional from the Start: Guiding Emergent Readers in Small Groups," Carolyn Helmers and Susan Vincent take a concentrated look at the often-underestimated reading and writing work that occurs during the emergent reading stages of literacy development (PreA-D) and the seemingly simplistic books we use to teach them in small-group…

This article explores the benefits and problems of teaching with challenged books in the English language arts classroom. Challenged books initiate important discussions and provide opportunities for students to explore diverse perspectives. Methods for helping teachers and schools prepare for potential challenges are also discussed. The authors…

Given the emerging evidence on the importance of learning content-specific vocabulary in the early years, many early childhood teachers try to incorporate science vocabulary teaching as part of classroom activities. In this article, the authors argue for the importance of teaching science vocabulary in engaging ways using read-aloud and the…

There is something quite magical about forming a connection to a book: the way in which the words on the page can conjure feelings of excitement, fun, joy, laughter or tears, channeling the part of our being that fundamentally makes us human. The journey that children take as they travel towards becoming a competent and confident reader can be a…

Students deserve to see representations of themselves in the books that they read, but with low amounts of culturally diverse books being published, this is not an easy feat. Students are exposed to a wide variety of literature in their classrooms, and as the need increases for culturally responsive teaching, it is important to explore how…

Pairing poster conversations with individual reading selections for students in MBA and undergraduate organizational behavior and leadership courses is a rewarding method for students to share their learning. Presenters share their posters with peers in a gallery walk format. This grants students an opportunity to convey their learning experiences…

In the United States, adult education for emergent multilingual language learners (EMLL) is governed by the American Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The AEFLA defines literacy as an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in "English." This definition erases the multilingual and multicultural assets that adult EMLLs…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a collaborative inquiry group of middle school ELA teachers who were utilizing the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) framework to create a virtual library of e-books, examine students' reading motivation data, and implement classroom practices intended to increase student reading value, motivation,…

Much attention has been devoted to Extensive Reading (ER) to better understand its pedagogical effects on language learners. In this study, we focus on the teaching principles of ER and call for a re-visitation of the Freedom principle ("Learners choose what they want to read") that has been frequently used by practitioners and…

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of science-fiction books on arousing secondary school students' curiosity about science. The research was conducted with 60 students attending 5th and 6th grades in a secondary school in Giresun, Guce district, during 2015-2016 academic year. The students were divided into two groups as one…

This study aimed to determine the perceptions of teacher candidates and to use the literature circles method to help them to develop a positive attitude towards the profession. Given that the study of literature circles in the national literature is only for a specific area, this study is the first study in which the literature circles are used…

The Ministry of Education and Culture developed the school literacy movement (SLM) program. This program aims to foster student interest in reading and improve reading skills so that knowledge can be mastered better. The author uses a literature review design by collecting data from various journal sources relevant to the SLM program in elementary…

Given the increasing diversity in U.S. schools and the impact of texts that reflect students' identities and experiences in the world, it has become imperative for teachers to be able to effectively integrate culturally relevant texts. In this article, the authors show how to do this using five steps to guide the process. First, teachers need to…