The Linnaeus University project "The Book Dog and Astrid Lindgren" seeks to bring children and literature together and to use the dog as a tool for this. The method involves children reading aloud to trained dogs, called "book dogs." By studying the practice of the book dog, we seek more profound knowledge of the importance of…

Literature circles or book clubs are small, heterogeneous groups of students who have chosen to read and discuss the same book together. The research on literature circles suggests that they hold great promise for increasing students' enjoyment of reading and honing their literacy skills. When evidence-based strategies are embedded into a…

Describes how a 4th-grade and a 6th-grade class meet to discuss books in a shared reading experience called "Hooked on Books," aimed at encouraging a reading lifestyle and helping students learn to articulate reactions to reading. Discusses getting started, helping students respond to reading, reading together, students' perspectives, and program…

Argues that the use of literature in elementary schools has been shown to promote achievement in reading, positive attitudes toward reading, social understanding, and content area learning. Describes five literature-based classroom reading programs which differentially arrange the organizational variables of whole-class, small-group, and…

Discusses how New York librarians and early childhood educators work together to get preschool children off to the right start in language and literacy. Describes how programs through libraries and involving parents, teachers and librarians can give children a better chance to grow up literate and love books. (MG)

Reviews the literature on alternative programs for improving the reading skills of high school students. (RB)

Describes the development and use of a whole-language (i.e., incorporating reading, writing, speaking, and listening) program for first through sixth graders at St. Michael School Michigan based on real book rather than elementary readers. Explains the classroom techniques used to teach various language arts. (DMM)

Describes an innovative family literacy program, in which adults come to school for workshops in children's literature and reading comprehension. Discusses its importance to parents, teachers, and students; the role of staff; operation and management; and the evidence of the success of the project. (PRA)

Newspaper media provide one way to motivate students' parents to be in tune with the whys, the hows, the wherefores, and the importance of reading. For example, in the Phoenixville Area School District (Pennsylvania), the reading department writes a monthly column for parents in the local newspaper. The column's topics are based on data gathered…

This paper provides insight into the history and growth of the National Reading Research Center (NRRC), that was charged to engage in research aimed at improving the reading proficiency of all students and to develop a broad, comprehensive model of reading acquisition that integrates the various cognitive, social, motivational, cultural, and…

Describes an English class designed to help high school seniors learn more about reading and to provide them with a knowledge of children's literature so that they can someday lead their children to literacy. (AEA)

Describes a reading program instituted in an orphanage, including the teaching methods and instructional materials used. (RB)

This document contains part two of a report of projects undertaken through the Hilroy Fellowship Program in Canada in 1970-71. The stated aim of the program is to encourage and reward classroom teachers who are developing new ideas for the improvement of teaching practices. The four projects deal with language arts and literature education. Each…

Describes the Junior Great Books program used by many Catholic schools to improve reading and critical thinking skills, as well as stir students' interest in reading. Explains the shared inquiry method of learning utilized to stimulate discussion about excellent literature. Offers examples of the ways in which the program operates at six different…