Explores the reactions of fourth and seventh grade students to two picture books about Columbus written from two different perspectives (white European explorer and Native American). Notes that the fourth graders saw Columbus as either all good or all bad after reading the books but that seventh graders were able to recognize the complexities of…

Reviews two areas of cross-cultural research (sociolinguistic research on oral interaction and the applied linguistic research area of contrastive rhetoric). Makes recommendations for using collaborative peer response groups successfully with multicultural classes. (MG)

Explores the effects of the use of aesthetic and efferent stances in response to literature with 43 fourth graders, 47 sixth graders, and 40 eighth graders. Finds use of an aesthetic stance is associated with higher levels of personal understanding and the level of understanding increases with grade level. (MG)

Describes how the authors have facilitated student-led literature discussions in their second- and third-grade classrooms. Outlines the basic organizational structure that fosters response-driven conversations about books. Illustrates the various ways students speak meaningfully with each other about the literature (including inferential…

Considers two CD-Rom narratives as examples of high quality, interactive multimedia texts currently available. Looks at how verbal and visual texts draw the reader into an interactive response and the extent to which multimedia elements shape the reader's experience of the text. Bases findings loosely on fieldwork involving responses of four…

Discusses what five teachers learned when they engaged in a literature discussion group to discuss children's books to develop themselves as writing teachers. Highlights the three layers of talk (emotional responses, exploring the meaning of the book, and exploring the writer's craft) and the role these play in the learning process. (SR)

Reviews 31 collections of children's poetry that help students see the world from a fresh perspective. Notes how they were used in a variety of classrooms and how children responded to them. Organizes the books in terms of: making the ordinary extraordinary; looking at relationships in new ways; new views of the world; and a fresh look at animals.…

Reflects candidly upon the author's commitment to multicultural education and the resistance she initially encountered from white, female preservice teachers. Relates how the author and her undergraduate students found ways to break the silence and bridge their cultural divide through the use of multicultural children's and adolescent literature,…

Describes a study of seventh graders learning to make and share meaning about literature through "sketch-to-stretch," an interpretive strategy involving the creation of symbols and pictures and other nonlinguistic signs to signify ideas generated through reading. Supports teaching that provides such shared opportunities for students. (TB)

Evaluates the effect of variations in sex-typed behavior in hypothetical peers on children's ratings of friendship. Four reading experiments with a fictional male or female exhibiting certain sex-typed behaviors were used to examine friendship ratings among kindergarten and elementary students. Results show friendship judgments can be influenced…

Explores how students take what they understand through reading and talking about literature and express their ideas in art, drama, music, or math. Argues that one way learners push their understandings and create more complex meanings is through such transmediation. Offers examples of responding to literature through multiple sign systems. (SR)

Explains the author's organized yet reflective approach to getting her fifth-grade students to read in literature circles. Discusses her slow and thorough process of building a community, and teaching students to respond to literature. Discusses resources for literature circles, and describes the first literature circle in her classroom (after…

Considers reader response to be a useful teaching method when it is linked with course goals and integrated into the structure of the classroom. Recommends reader response because it promotes critical thinking and comprehension of reading materials, facilitates class participation, and engages students in the learning process. Gives a sample…

Examines the benefits of reader response by means of student letters to authors. Notes that students involved in response writing become more interested in reading, are more reflective individuals, and more responsible for monitoring and resolving their own questions. (SD)

This essay is based on a talk I delivered at Texas A&M University on December 10, 2005, in response to an earlier lecture at the university by Professor Samuel P. Huntington. It relies on social science evidence to first address Huntington's contention that Mexicans are overwhelming American borders. It then turns to evidence that Mexican…