A key instructional goal of English language arts instruction is teaching students to read and interpret complex literary texts. This report reviews the literature on the development and pedagogy of literary analysis skills. It analyzes literary analysis skills as a "key practice," a bundle of disciplinary skills and strategies that form…

This article outlines the arrangement of a text circle in an eighth-grade English language arts class around the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird." The author first provides rationale for examining Atticus Finch as a non-traditional hero for his going against the status quo despite consequence to do what's right. The author then establishes…

This qualitative study examined middle grades preservice language arts teachers' perceptions of young adult literature through the lenses of reader response, new literacy, and activity theory. Undergraduate preservice teachers used synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) to respond online to three young adult books with…

In response to the challenge of meeting the needs of today's learners, teachers must know how to teach and facilitate new literacies and instructional technologies. This article introduces the concept of an electronic reading workshop (ERW), in which participants read eBooks, respond to literature in digital response journals, participate in…

Describes one secondary school teacher's experience in experimenting with reader response literary criticism as a teaching tool and how she handles difficulties concerning teacher supervision, student motivation, and student growth. (TB)

Despite the fact that students are an important component of the educational process, their preferences for instruction are not typically a consideration for classroom practices. The purpose of this survey study was to determine high school students' preferences for methods used in the instruction of literary works of art. Students expressed…

This book's purpose is to assist school library media specialists in incorporating specific learning objectives into a storytime format, thus extending the storytime experience into standards-based reading and writing lessons. The book is intended for veteran and beginning school library media specialists and teachers who collaborate with them.…

Emphasizing the generic nature of reading behavior and providing a forum to explore this behavior, this book contains the following papers: (1) "Literacy Begins at Home" (Nancy Larrick); (2) "Literacy--Signs for Our Times" (Lil Thompson); (3) "Diversity and Its Discontents" (Arturo Madrid); (4) "May We Always Hear the Bell: The Teaching of…

Describes a teaching strategy used in undergraduate reading/language arts methods classes that combines methods from case-based instruction and reader response to literature by using literature case studies--novels that contain school-based events and characters. Offers entries from undergraduate education students' literature logs to describe the…

Shares the author's experiences as a third-grade teacher facing the dilemma of not having multiple copies of good literature available. Tells the story of how she developed effective instructional strategies for using the limited resources she was able to find. Describes how, despite less than ideal resources, children engaged in rich, thoughtful…

Reflects on how the author's third-grade students, experienced in literary conversation from their reading workshop, transferred the practice of literary conversation to their writing workshop. (SR)

Reviews the evolution of relevant research in both response to literature and in the enactment of response-based practices in classrooms. Examines research on text, readers, and contexts. Examines research exploring how readers construct texts as cultural worlds, construct identities through participation in worlds, and share responses through…

Intended for grades K-8, this book will help teachers and students launch their own author study programs, making powerful connections with authors while nurturing a community of readers. It argues that, with author study, all students form mentor relationships with authors; gain access to the world of authors and books; develop a wide range of…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on appreciating literature is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an…

Articles in this yearbook address the issue of emphasizing the basics in reading development, and also focus on the literary experience. Articles, listed by their authors, include: (1) "A Second Helping" (Myra Cohn Livingston); (2) "Not Only a New Curriculum but a New Teacher" (Marilyn Hanf Buckley); (3) "Reading--A…