The phenomenon of a "secondary world"--the world of imagination created by writers of fiction in which writers and readers mentally participate--is described. Theories on the subject are discussed, and a three-dimensional model of the psychological structure of this world is presented. (PP)

Describes how students in an undergraduate children's literature class constructed and created interpretations of the books they were reading. Notes that the students each designed a three-foot paper strip reflecting his or her personal response to the book. Finds fresh thinking, fewer repeated ideas, and more understanding of symbol, metaphor,…

Recounts a veteran instructor's experiences with teaching new subjects, American literature and poetry writing, after many years away from graduate school. Muses about the reality of teaching undergraduates. Considers teaching as a rhetorical act and finds that learning is more likely to occur when teachers approach teaching as a rhetorical act…

Discusses the reading habits of a writing teacher and her teacher education students--a few of whom confessed that they had never read an entire book all the way through. States that the educator's goal was to increase her students' reading of informational and pleasurable materials over the semester. (PA)

Charts the process by which, over some 10 years, one reader came to read a particular text "with full understanding." Indicates how crucial in that process were the complex, interacting influences of other, simpler literary texts, of the reader's own life experience, and (paradoxically) of "family" experience not consciously…

Argues for the value of reading and interpreting autobiographical writing in a high school literature class. Explains a teaching method whereby students are asked to choose a special passage and respond to it in their journals from a personal viewpoint. Suggests that the sharing of these passages in class builds class chemistry. (TB)

Explains that a Middle School Literacy Teacher Expert supports and guides teachers with innovative strategies to help students master basic literacy skills to become lifelong learners. Explains the A.C.T.I.V.E. strategy to encourage students to ask, comment, track down, infer, visualize, and Eureka! (synthesize). (PM)

Contends that second language learners need to have a strong grasp of the reading process for school success. Explains how three intervention strategies (t-charts, sticky notes, and key words) were employed to give students an understanding of the reading process. Concludes that using t-charts helped students organize their thoughts, and using…

Discusses the Facts and Feelings Response Diary strategy for assisting middle school students in inclusive settings to connect both efferently and aesthetically with informational text. Notes that this activity stimulates students to focus their attention on important facts and details and to use their prior experiences, feelings, interests,…

Discusses the need to place a greater emphasis on the subject of reading in library and information science (LIS) education and research. Topics include literacy studies, print culture history, reader-response theory, ethnography of reading, genre fiction and cultural studies, information versus reading, and access to information versus content of…

Examines the performance and construction of subjectivities of four early adolescent, sixth-grade girls as they read and discussed a novel about two adolescent Mexican children seeking a new life in America. Suggests they engaged in ongoing construction of their subjectivities as they interacted with the text and each other. Notes the girls…

Describes ways in which a small group of preschool children in an urban Head Start Program responded to typical information books during read-aloud sessions. Notes results of a group pretend reading of books children had just heard. Concludes even young children are attuned to characteristics of texts. (PM)

Analyzes undergraduates' interpretations of a short story that presents a relatively balanced argument between a man and a woman. Finds both male and female students arrived at androcentric readings by solving text ambiguities in favor of the male character. Presents methods that encourage students to recognize and reevaluate their reading…

Shares experiences from three teachers in the following articles: "Integrating Content Area Skills with Fiction Favorites" (Hilda E. Ollmann); "Turning Teenagers into Reader Response Researchers" (Sharon Kane); and "Increasing Student Awareness of the Importance of Reading" (Rose Katz Ortiz). (MG)

Outlines a series of summary-writing assignments which focus on differences between expository and literary texts, and provide unusual opportunities for students to develop their response to literature. Maintains that such summaries increase students' facility as perceptive readers and insightful writers. (SR)