This column suggests pairings of fiction and nonfiction books to meet curricular needs and help students to compare/contrast the texts as they may be asked on state tests. The author of this paper focuses on activities surrounding Halloween. Since many schools are discouraged from teaching about Halloween, this can be a great time to investigate…

Mystery and Adventure travel the same path. Within every mystery is an adventure, be it a struggle for survival, network of suspense, or matching of wits. A mystery is a secret jigsaw puzzle. Its popularity lies in the author's skillful engagement of the reader in putting together the pieces by using such elements as clues, foreshadowing, and…

At least once a year, teachers generally request a historical fiction assignment. Bare facts make dry reading but historical fiction, set in an actual time period with plausible dialogue and credible characters, is more palatable to youngsters. This column discusses the most widely-requested historical periods of study for intermediate and upper…

Briefly discusses the advantages of using literature to teach geography, and presents an annotated bibliography of 17 fiction and nonfiction books that may be used to develop an understanding of geography in children and young adults. The intended educational level of each book is included in its description. (CLB)

Grandparents play an integral role in a child's life. In recent years these functions have been expanded due to longer life spans, access to better health care, and changing family dynamics. President Jimmy Carter designated Sunday, September 9th, 1979, as the first formal Grandparents Day, and the first Sunday following Labor Day in each…

Describes how to explain the organization of a library to elementary school students by making an analogy of a library being like a state: each state is made up of towns and neighborhoods as libraries are made up of areas for fiction and nonfiction. Includes a worksheet. (LRW)

Focuses on plot in children's stories. Suggests that folktales can be used to demonstrate the three main stages of plot development, and illustrates with specific examples. Presents activities for engagement, exploration and explanation, evaluation, and extention. Includes a sample worksheet for developing the plot of a story. (AEF)

Winter, even if students don't see snowflakes, is a good time to examine the activities of animals, children, and nature. In this column, the author recommends pairs of fiction and nonfiction titles that can meet the needs of students from kindergarten to grade 5, as well as fulfill the requirements of the curriculum. Some winter activities are…

Offers guidelines for weeding as part of school library collection development. Highlights include developing a weeding policy; and the CREW (Continuous Review Evaluation and Weeding) method, including reasons for weeding, scheduling, and guidelines for fiction and for nonfiction. (LRW)

Highlights the career and work of James Stevenson, author and illustrator of children's books. Presents suggestions for extension activities. Includes a selected annotated bibliography of his picture books, titles from some of his series, autobiographical picture books, illustrations, poetry, and fiction, as well as books about James Stevenson.…

Discusses motivation as a factor in reading and learning and presents an annotated bibliography of seven fiction and nonfiction titles for elementary and secondary school students that address or involve motivation in one way or another. (LRW)

Presents research and learning activities that focus on basketball. Provides a list of suggested sources, including fiction, nonfiction, biography, periodicals, videocassettes, and encyclopedias and reference guides. (AEF)

Presents short descriptions of six "curious places" in children's books and films. Describes sample creative class activities for younger and middle grade children to engage in after listening to selected stories. Activities include creating drawings, stories, flip books, and picture books; role-playing; and developing an imaginary town.…

Realistic fiction has changed dramatically over the years. Formerly a sentimental, family-oriented story, today's realism focuses on today's problems and the protagonist's struggle to overcome them. Parents, once portrayed as protectors of the children, now often are cast as failures, needing help themselves. Yesterday's taboo subjects--drugs,…

Explains how to perform a booktalk as a readers' theater script and offers guidelines for staging. Two examples are given, one for a picture book and one for a novel; and nine booktalks are provided for historical books that are suitable for adaptation as readers' theater scripts. (LRW)