There is considerable research evidence to suggest that (1) literature has a positive effect both on reading achievement and attitude toward reading; and (2) the use of a literature-based program is an effective alternative to the traditional basal reading approach. The majority of studies concluded that the literature-based approach produced…

While university researchers cannot agree on a model for teaching literature, or even what literary knowing is, the training for literature that prospective elementary teachers receive is totally that of teaching reading. Such education is unrelated to reading and responding to literature. Even when preservice elementary teachers do receive…

Serving as a guide for teachers interested in implementing a whole language philosophy within their classrooms and as a resource for teachers who have whole language classrooms, this annotated bibliography presents thorough annotations of 12 selected texts published between 1979 and 1992 encouragement and support for the whole language philosophy.…

Investigated strategies beginning readers use as they read self-selected texts in the reading centers of first-grade whole language classrooms. Patterns of reading behavior show general movement from a focus on pictures to a focus on print. Strategies were recursive, not developmentally linear. (Author/BB)

The basic assumption of this book is that reading and writing in school should be natural and enjoyable for children, and its ideas are based on the Piagetian theory that knowledge is constructed by each individual and the psycholinguistic view that learning takes place best when viewed as holistic and when instructional materials for children are…

Reflecting dramatic changes in educators' understanding of literacy, this book, a revision of an earlier text published in 1986 under the title, "Improving Reading Comprehension," provides support for preservice and inservice teachers in learning to help children develop literacy effectively. The central feature of the book is a literacy program…

This book provides practical implementation strategies for, and a clear outline of, the theory behind the child-centered classroom, a theory which involves an understanding of the concepts of whole language and active learning. It is hoped that teachers will use the ideas in the book to build their own beliefs and understandings, and to develop…

Intended for practitioners, this book presents a curricular framework for classroom reading and writing experiences that help students understand how reading and writing relate to reasoning and learning. The two sections of the book are organized around three major components of curriculum and how each component was realized in three Indiana…

A study described metaphorical writing for engaging Mexican American students in productive emergent literacy activities. During a 2-year qualitative study of a bilingual first-grade classroom, data was collected through an ethnography of communication framework that focused on metaphorical student writing and reading and included interviews and…

Pointing out that understanding, considering, preparing, modeling, teaching, collaborating, assessing, and supporting are steps along the path to using literature in the classroom, the essays in this book provide a solid background for those teachers who are considering making the transition to literature-based instruction in their classrooms.…