Despite the value of reading, research documents declining reading rates among American adolescents - a decline that exacerbates student dropout rates and academic performance. As a high school English teacher in a public, regional, suburban school, increasing the number of students who deeply read the assigned texts for class has been a…

The intent of this essay is to provoke thought on how to increase the impact of course readings on individual and group learning. A set of strategies for tapping the generative potential of texts that build on the interpretive insights of Gadamer and Ricoeur is provided. "Generative potential" refers to the ability of a text to generate…

This article discusses one teacher's efforts to give their students a mentor text for a persuasive, research-based writing project. The author's shift from assigning predominantly fiction to focusing more on nonfiction came as a result of their efforts to help their students move from students' current writing style -- that of a five-paragraph…

As a science teacher, I regularly use outside reading assignments (e.g., news articles) to help develop my students' understanding of topics addressed in my anatomy class. However, I have found that in simply reading texts, students often fail to (1) understand the context of the science discussed, (2) make the connections between ideas…

This article evaluates a writing assignment in which students read a non-fiction book that they chose from a list provided by their instructor, identified examples of social psychological phenomena, and fully explained how those examples fit social psychology concepts. This novel twist on a traditional assignment yielded surprisingly robust…

A teacher who once relied on a reading skills program describes her conversion to an approach that emphasizes the reading of books. A substantial part of each class period is set aside for free reading time. A sampling of book projects used to focus students' efforts is included. (PP)

Offers five guidelines for teaching slow readers: (1) use age-appropriate content; (2) build background and highlight key concepts; (3) keep assignments short; (4) focus on only a few skills and strategies; and (5) practice the chosen objectives to achieve success. (MG)

Recommends establishing literature study groups as early as the primary grades. Outlines the steps for implementing a group and describes several classroom experiences with them. Includes a discussion of follow-up activities, and a bibliography of related works. (MJP)

Recommends teaching suggestions which focus on three broad areas: (1) strategies for teaching textbook organization; (2) strategies for using graphics to organize the information covered in the text; and (3) the use of an integrated approach to content area teaching. Cites studies to support these recommendations. (MG)

Guidelines for developing cross-cultural awareness and understanding in high school students studying a second language are offered to teachers of all languages, but more detailed references are supplied for the teacher of Spanish. Suggestions include teaching the familiar first, presenting a well-rounded view of the target culture, balancing the…

Describes the Dublin model, a program which uses thematic units or individualized reading assignments to focus on popular adolescent literature and includes projects that demonstrate students' comprehension of text. Discusses the formulation, implementation, and assessment of this program. (RS)