Considers how image becomes the issue when authors, illustrators, editors, reviewers, teachers and librarians passively accept rather than question the illustrations and content of new books. Concludes that through literature, children can begin to develop a sense of their humanness and can develop new insights into the behaviors of others and…

In this brief article, the author suggests that in this age of accountability, teacher-librarians sometimes become so engulfed by their role in teaching the school curriculum and standards that they forget the power of story. The author stresses, that in her opinion, the power of story is undeniable.

In the past, parents would wait outside of the room while storytime was in progress. The librarian would be the only adult in the room most times. Now grown-ups regularly attend storytime and seem to enjoy it as much as their little ones. And librarians realize that their adult audience is just as important as their young one. Recognizing the…

One of the best gifts one can give to children is a lifelong love of reading, and that begins by reading out loud to them every day. It is the single most important thing one can do to help build literacy skills. This article presents some guidelines to help make reading time in the classroom a richer experience.

Two university researchers conducted a survey of middle school teachers' read-aloud practices at a large state conference for middle level educators. Results of this survey provide a beginning step toward evaluating the ways in which middle school teachers use read-alouds in the classroom. This paper shares the results of the survey and offers…

Morphological errors in reading aloud (e.g., "sexist" [right arrow] "sexy") are a central feature of the symptom-complex known as deep dyslexia, and have historically been viewed as evidence that representations at some level of the reading system are morphologically structured. However, it has been proposed (Funnell, 1987) that morphological…

For many teachers, the storybook shelf is not the first place that they go to when they start to plan a math lesson. But children's books can be a great math teaching tool. They spark students' imaginations in ways that exercises in textbooks or workbooks often don't. In this article, the author shares three possible lessons based on favorite…

Everyone knows how important it is to read to young children--but it is the "quality" of shared reading that really affects emergent literacy. How well are adults engaging and teaching children as they read together? How well are children listening and responding? The first and only tool to measure the quality of adult and child interactions…

For postsecondary students with disabilities influencing reading performance, printed class materials pose a substantial barrier and have a negative impact on academic achievement. Digital technologies offer alternative ways of accessing print materials for students with print-related disabilities. Alternative media is a broad term that…

While strongly endorsing a multi-pronged approach to vocabulary instruction, Moen takes pains to include and even emphasize work with English Language Learners. By adhering to the principles of A.C.T. (Access to texts, individual Choice of reading material, and Time to read), Moen finds myriad ways to make learning words a creative and social…

This study surveyed the literacy practices of 45 English-speaking parents of Latino kindergarten through second graders using English questionnaires. The results of the survey were similar in many respects to other studies of English-speaking Latinos and unlike studies of Spanish-speaking Latinos. Respondents reported numbers of children's books…

In this study I investigated the effectiveness of a kindergarten vocabulary intervention, developed based on previous research on characteristics of effective vocabulary intervention through storybook read-alouds, in 5 kindergarten classrooms. Among these classrooms were 3 mainstream, 1 two-way bilingual, and 1 structured immersion classroom. The…

An increase in the Mexican American population within the predominantly African American community and school was the basis of this qualitative study. The purpose of the study was to introduce African American second grade students to authentic Mexican and Mexican American children's literature. Interactive read-alouds of nonfiction and realistic…

An observational study of reading instruction was conducted in general education, resource, and self-contained classrooms, grades 1-4, in public schools. Participants included students who were deaf or hard of hearing and their reading teachers. Results indicated that time engaged in reading and/or academically responding varied significantly by…

Intended to be read aloud to children ages six to nine and read alone by children nine and up, this book presents 24 versions of the Cinderella folktale from around the world, thus representing a broad range of cultures, geographical areas, styles, and variations on the basic theme. The folktales in the book are intended to enhance children's…