Proposes that to enable students to move along the literacy continuum, the pre-service teacher must become mindful of the multiple cultures and perspectives shaping the classroom. Discusses how a group of university students examined texts of the past and present and then worked to develop a critical awareness of teaching approaches and literacy…

Provides three teachers' perspectives on students' reading choices. Discusses reading choices of high school students. Outlines teacher strategies of discovering what books students enjoy and how to help them enjoy others. (PM)

Proposes using "theme baskets" as a progression of texts to scaffold core literature. Defines the theme basket as a combination of several approaches: using a thematic approach to teaching literature; using children's books in secondary classrooms; coupling young adult books with the classics; and capitalizing on young adults'…

Explores the literary themes present in the stories in the "Texts for Nine-Year Compulsory Education: Chinese," grade 1-3. Notes that these textbooks are currently used in Shanghai public elementary schools in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for instruction in the Mandarin dialect of the Chinese language. Concludes that the themes…

Considers how in the past 30 years almost a dozen picture books for children have made motifs of rape and death their subjects, as they appear in the story of Demeter and Persephone. Discusses why this particular story is so popular and what variations exist among these retellings. (SG)

Analyzes four assumptions about reading and literature put forward by English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language (ESL/FL) communicative approach theorists. Briefly contrasts the assumptions with the assumptions of the audiolingual approach. Shows how communicative theories can be applied in the ESL/FL literature classrooms. (RS)

Comparison of the effectiveness of two story selection processes for English-as-a-Second-Language learners indicated that selecting "running" stories (a story and its follow-up articles) provided more repetition of low frequency words, better reduced vocabulary load, and provided better conditions for vocabulary acquisition than did selecting…

Discusses four issues relating to the use of controversial books in schools: (1) self-censorship; (2) policy; (3) parents' roles, teachers' roles, administrators' roles; and (4) impact of controversy. Offers suggestions on how parents, community members, administrators, and teachers can contribute to the selection and evaluation of texts in…

Today's most competitive basal programs make use of a variety of good children's literature and provide an organized sequential plan for teaching reading. General suggestions are provided for using a basal series as the core of a holistic program. (IAH)

Hearing-impaired students need exposure to materials that present accurate and encouraging portrayals of people as unique individuals of equal worth and varied talents. Presented are a checklist for evaluating textbooks for fair representation of characters with disabilities and suggestions for compensating for gender, ethnic, and disability bias…

Discusses strategies that school librarians can use to help encourage reluctant readers, particularly in secondary schools. Highlights include book sharing, a more informal version of a book talk; helping students select appropriate titles that interest them; and an annotated bibliography of 35 sources of young adult titles. (LRW)

Results of the 1994 College Board Vocabulary Study, a comprehensive study of word frequencies in reading materials used at high school and first-year college levels, are summarized. The 76 book titles most commonly recommended, based on a related citation study, are listed. (MSE)

Focuses on picture books that feature African Americans and ways the books can be used in the social studies classroom. Suggests that using such material will increase all learners' understanding of African American culture, while enabling African American learners to find themselves in the texts. (RS)

Describes the development and content of an interactive introduction to a foreign literature course designed to teach students literary analysis skills and refine their oral communication skills, through such course aspects as text selection criteria, pre- and postreading strategies, literary interpretation, and student analysis and discussion of…

Analyzes the literary thesis papers (based on voluntarily selected books and required of all 675 seniors in a comprehensive, academically superior high school). Finds that young adult literature is perceived by older adolescents as worthy for literary analysis, but their teachers may not fully share their belief. (RS)