Reflecting the concerns of researchers and practitioners about children's text comprehension, this book defines and provides examples of narrative and expository text and describes research-based strategies for helping children comprehend these two types of text. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Research on Stories: Implications…

This article discusses editorial "filters" in folktales, specifically the changes ("orientations") which editors deliberately impose on a tale because they want to reach a specific audience. A case in point is the tale called "Allerleirauh," in the Grimm collection, which not only is highly illustrative of editorial…

A German language class project designed to develop individual learner autonomy involved a third-year class and a sixth-year class of girls in the production of a fashion show using slides and narration. A variety of related class activities were used: choosing pictures, making suggestions to people about what to wear, analyzing clothing types,…

A study was conducted to determine if instruction in schematic aspects of narratives would enhance children's knowledge of story constituents and their interrelationships and to assess the effect of instruction in narrative schema on the reading comprehension of average and below average readers. Subjects were 20 fourth grade students who had been…

Designed to stimulate reluctant writers in grades five through eight, these 40 uncompleted stories were written by a teacher who has used them with success in the classroom. The stories are arranged by length and complexity, and topics range from tales of childhood experiences to accounts of history, nature, and science fiction. A section…

It was the purpose of this study to design a secondary school curriculum in narrative and dramatic literature which would reflect the growth of structures of thought and behavior in early and middle adolescence. Based on Jean Piaget's theory of intellectual development which begins in the student's experiences and works toward…

To determine, through testing, whether archaic diction patterned after the King James Bible is actually a hindrance to the modern reader's comprehension and retention, two narratives of 2,000 words each were administered to 500 students in high school and college. Both of the narratives were composed and printed in two forms, one in archaic…

This volume contains the narratives of 17 Puerto Rican young adults, describing the major events in their life histories to the editor. They were interviewed in their homes and schools, at work, and in the streets. Among the narratives are the accounts of Fernanda, who was told she was too stupid to bother studying, and who now has a master's…

Argues that many interventions for introducing Aboriginal children to literacy continue to be based on "language deficit" models. Examines whether there is indeed a mismatch between the nonstandard spoken language of some Aboriginal children and textbook language. (RAE)

The emptiness and nothingness associated with writer's block is often described as a kind of death, a place where there is nothing to decide, nothing about which to express an opinion. However, for students who enter the writing classroom from a different culture, the problem may not be lack of ideas, but conflicting ideas. Some of these students…

Presents sample passages from children's readers to show deficiencies in the coherence of such texts, particularly in the way they relate to accompanying illustrations. (GT)

This study analyzes two versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" as told by a bilingual three-year-old girl in English. (CFM)

The written stories of 8 severely to profoundly hearing-impaired students in grades 4-11 were analyzed and assigned a developmental level. Results indicated T-unit lengths within normal limits, limited use of cohesive devices, and difficulty with internal responses. The developmental level exhibited by most subjects was the true narrative stage.…

Reports a conversation between Cleanth Brooks and Willie Morris concerning changes in literature during the postmodern era. Discusses narrative form, arguing that contemporary literature is moving away from story telling. Contends that the small percentage of the public which reads serious fiction is the reason for this shift. (KO)

In a follow-up to Michaels' research that identified "topic associating," the narrative styles of 48 low-income urban kindergartners were examined. Results, which revealed both topic-associating and topic-centered stories, showed storybook and fairy tale themes/structures in both styles but most clearly in topic-centered narratives and a…