To investigate whether certain sections of the newspaper could be used effectively in teaching critical reading and thinking skills to educationally disadvantaged adults, 29 students enrolled in a developmental reading class were instructed for eight weeks using specific newspaper articles to develop critical and analytical skills. A control group…

Of 21 studies on the effect that question placement had on reading comprehension, ten favored and eleven opposed the use of prequestions. A review of these studies suggests that the issue is not whether prequestions or postquestions produce greater gains in reading comprehension. What remains to be examined is the change in reading comprehension…

The reader has replaced the text as the central figure in the teaching of literature. Three techniques that psychologists and educational researchers believe produce better reading comprehension are: the concept of schemata, or the kind of mental outline a reader has when perceiving something; the acquisition or development of an appropriate…

Results of a study to analyze factors affecting critical reading are reported. The factors are readability of textual material, pupil intelligence, and motivation. Passages from U.S. history textbooks, a critical reading and literal comprehension test, and a standard measure of student motivation were administered to 207 senior high school…

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY DEVELOPED A CRITICAL READING TEST AS PART OF THE 3-YEAR USOE PROJECT 2612 CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER CRITICAL READING COULD BE TAUGHT TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN. THE TEST AIMS TO MEASURE THE ANALYTIC AND EVALUATIVE ABILITIES OF CHILDREN IN REACTING CRITICALLY TO MATERIALS READ. CRITICAL READING SKILLS WERE…

AN OUTLINE TO BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR READING INSTRUCTION IN THE PRIMARY GRADES IN KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI, IS PRESENTED. THE RESULT OF AN INSERVICE WORKSHOP, THE OUTLINE IS DEVELOPED UNDER FIVE MAJOR HEADINGS--(1) AIMS AND OBJECTIVES, (2) THE NATURE OF READING ACCORDING TO THE INDEXES USED BY LINGUISTS AND SEMANTICISTS, (3) READING READINESS--THE…

Creative understanding as a facet of comprehension is the prime objective of reading instruction. Understanding what is read is basic to any aspect of learning, but the learner should be prepared to go beyond mere understanding and to use information gained to further enrich his experiences and knowledge through critical analysis, creative…

Most criticisms directed at basal reader stories concern the unreal characters which tend to depict only middle-class families and use unreal language patterns. However, such criticisms do not get to the core of the problem. A comparison of stories from basal readers with some famous folk tales illustrates how the here-and-now stories from basal…

The identification of the specific components of literary taste in this study was accomplished through a search of the writings about children's literature and taste, the advice of a panel of experts in the field of children's literature, and the assistance of teachers and librarians. A list of 41 components was then developed into a Literary…

Emphasizing a humanistic perspective, a committee at Virginia Commonwealth University was constituted to design and critique a course in modern fiction employing innovative technology and methodology. Educational objectives were identified, including critical thinking skills, questioning strategies, and affective development. The course featured a…

Defninig rhetorical analysis as a means of studying writer/audience relationships allowing both intrinsic and extrinsic analysis, the author discusses the three sections of Levertov's poem, "From a Notebook: October '68--May '69." Section 1 is the speaker's personal comparison of her associations with life and death, comparison of…

Five papers given at the International Reading Association conference held in conjunction with a National Council for the Social Studies conference in 1968 are presented in this work. Although each paper is addressed to a different subtopic, there is the common theme of the role that reading can play in social studies instruction. The subtopics…

As a guide for in-depth study of "Island of the Blue Dolphins" by sixth-graders who have completed the basal reader, this document focuses on ways of enabling each child to find satisfaction and enjoyment in the novel; to develop a greater interest in literature; to gain an understanding of plot development in a story; to realize what…

An explanation of critical thinking and methods for fostering critical thinking through reading are presented. Critical thinking is defined (1) as the habit of examining and weighing an idea or a thing before accepting or rejecting it and (2) as a three-factor ability consisting of attitudes, function, and knowledge. Reading is seen as an…

This dissertation is concerned with the role that close reading (textual analysis of a literary work) plays in the methods, teaching materials, and training of prospective secondary school English teachers. Despite the impact of the movement of close reading in higher education and educators' recent call for its practice in the high school, there…