If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a whole picture book worth? This was exactly the question Pierce School teachers asked themselves when they began the project of compiling a photo library for creating realistic and relevant short texts by and for students across all grades in their K-8 elementary school. In an effort to…

Examines interview responses of Mexican eighth graders about an adolescent novel that related the adventures of a female conquistador, including: their conceptions about gender, dynamics between the reader and the text, and the expression of response. Results revealed students' anxieties about gender issues, noting that how they understood these…

Argues that picture books are a significant resource in learning about literary elements. Discusses using picture books with middle schoolers in "text sets" (5 to 15 texts that relate conceptually in some way). Describes a two-week period during which eighth-grade students read and responded to text sets on themes (prejudice,…

Explores the effects of the use of aesthetic and efferent stances in response to literature with 43 fourth graders, 47 sixth graders, and 40 eighth graders. Finds use of an aesthetic stance is associated with higher levels of personal understanding and the level of understanding increases with grade level. (MG)

Examines the kinds of instruction that foster student engagement with literature and the effects of such instruction on achievement. Describes the manifestations of procedural and substantive forms of engagements, explains how they relate differently to student outcomes, and offers some empirical propositions using data on literature instruction…

This volume presents the 53rd Yearbook of the National Reading Conference (NRC). The papers in this Yearbook reflect NRC's practice of pursuing not only traditionally important topics in literacy but also many issues that may not be deemed worthy of funding and government attention. Rather than a narrowing of the field, the submitted manuscripts,…