This study examines how pre-service teachers assess the appropriateness of literary texts used by high school students in terms of learners' age, linguistic needs, and language proficiency. It also aims to determine the relevance of the texts used to learners' cultural understanding. The participants in this study were five pre-service teachers…

Traditional and digital storytelling is a powerful literacy tool which engage students in making connections between pedagogy and academic content. Definitions of traditional and digital storytelling, pedagogical methods aligned with curriculum standards, and examples of literacy centers associated with storytelling in early childhood classrooms…

Five teacher educators discuss children's literature addressing Earth's changing climate. They present tools for evaluating the quality of resources likely to help teachers and students stimulate conceptual and emotional development rather than anxiety or oversimplification. An annotated selection of current books along with a checklist to…

This study aimed to examine which genres parents are reading to children and for themselves. Furthermore, it aimed to examine mothers' and fathers' shared reading strategies for different book genres in relation to children's language and literacy development. Parents shared a narrative and an expository book with their preschool-aged children.…

The purpose of this action research project report was to increase engagement during independent reading for 32 fourth-grade students and 26 seventh-grade science students. At Site A, data was collected from August 27, 2012 through December 14, 2012. At Site B, data was collected from September 24, 2012 through December 14, 2012. Students'…

The children's literature market has experienced enormous growth in recent years, providing teachers with an abundance of resources with which to teach reading. High-quality informational texts abound. Yet, teachers often are uncertain about how to select appropriate informational texts to use with younger readers when including them in…

Two ideas for helping in the selection of school reading materials include an annual Reading Exposition and Materials Fair, and developing a checklist for judging material. A sample checklist is provided. (MD)

A checklist intended for use in clarifying personal views of the nature of reading and reading instruction within a context of four distinctive, yet overlapping, views. (Author)

Concerns the role of materials in reading instruction and learning to read. Introduces the concept of a-structional, as well as instructional materials. Includes a summary of a checklist, adapted to the specific characteristics of reading materials which EPIE uses in carrying out materials analysis. (Author)

Offers a checklist for classroom teachers who need a quick and efficient method for reviewing and evaluating nonfiction tradebooks for teaching content area subjects. (SR)

The checklist described here was developed for use by secondary school foreign language teachers as an aid in choosing appropriate literature for the program. It is designed primarily for prose literature and contains the following categories: objectives, reading level, interest, controversy, text, time available, and cultural content. Each of…

Describes "A Guide to Selecting Basal Reading Programs," which was developed to help textbook adoption committees select basal reading texts in elementary schools. Topics discussed include development of booklets that describe various aspects of reading instruction and the role of the guidelines in improving the quality of basal reading…

In response to the problem facing college faculties of choosing textbooks that are both "readable" by students and adequate in content coverage, a text selection process has been developed that can be used with or without the aid of a reading specialist. The first step in the process, a preliminary check, examines each proposed text's publication…

The authors examined the effects of choice, topic interest, and situational interest on reading engagement, attitude, and learning. The outcomes were measured using scores on a multiple-choice test, a content essay, and a personal reaction essay, and completion of an attitude checklist. Experiment 1 found a small negative effect for choice on the…