Describes how elementary teachers are integrating children's literature into content lessons. Describes three reasons for the use of picture books in content classrooms and describes specific ways that various books can be used in teaching a range of content area subjects. Lists resources for teachers, children's literature for specific content…

Describes a teacher's experience as a speaker and representative of the religious right at a school board meeting to resolve conflicts over what is suitable reading material for school children. Reviews her personal involvement in the controversy, the nature of the controversy, and the possibility of dialog between the two sides. (TB)

Examines whether Black characters in four children's or young adult quest fantasy novels are viable, three-dimensional characters, and whether the race of the author affects their portrayal. Discusses why there are so few Black characters in fantasy novels. Argues that publishers must seek out and publish quality fantasy manuscripts that feature…

Discusses the link between adequately developed, current school library collections and better student achievement and highlights the importance of having students become successful critical readers. Offers suggestions for encouraging reading, including knowing the materials in the collection, knowing the students to meet their needs, building on…

Assesses physical print environment of 18 kindergarten classrooms, addressing whether literacy was honored with materials and special places for reading/writing. Finds suburban and holistic classrooms had more writing tools and print than urban, rural, and conventional settings. Concludes print-poor classrooms do not honor literacy, and…

Offers brief descriptions of 41 books of historical fiction that may interest intermediate and middle school students, many of them new releases that tackle unusual historical topics. Argues that historical fiction is an ideal medium for taking intermediate and middle school students out of their day-to-day surroundings and into other times and…

Describes the experience of one developmental reading class instructor in using articles from current event publications to foster problem solving, synthesis and analysis, and perspective-taking. Discusses the assignments given to the students and the process used for evaluating student work. Includes a six-step demonstration of study strategies.…

This article reports an investigation of the attitudes and opinions of children's librarians towards poetry, and towards its promotion in the public library. It also reports some attitudes towards literature promotion to young people in general. A series of structured interviews with library professionals currently working in the public sector…

When the author left California for the University of Minnesota twenty-five years ago, he vowed never again to become involved in departmental or university politics. He'd had enough of that at California State, Los Angeles, and he was determined to devote his full attention, apart from teaching, to several scholarly projects that had simmered so…

The primary pedagogical principle of Reader's Theatre is that it "dramatizes" literature to provide both a visual and an oral stimulus for students who may be unaccustomed to using their imagination to experience literary works like novels, poems, essays, or short stories. Promoting a suggestive, "theatrical mind" approach to…

The act of reading a well-written book to students is one of the easiest writing lessons a library media specialist can give. When kids hear new or unusual words and descriptive, poignant phrases, it increases their own experimentation with writing. Using good literature to develop good writers just makes sense. There are a plethora of avenues and…

Using literature in science instruction has the potential to increase student motivation and to improve student achievement in both literacy and science. The process of identifying high-quality picture books, however, can be challenging and time consuming for teachers. The authors identified 74 science-based picture books from the annual Teachers'…

This book argues that what college students read has crucial implications for both their development as individuals and their ability to establish consensus on national issues. The result of visits to college classrooms all over the United States, the book is not the work of a professional educator but of an editor and literary critic who is…

This paper stresses the importance of Appalachian children being exposed to literature that reflects their way of life and values. The author, who grew up in Appalachia, discusses her difficulties in learning to read because of a lack of literature that related to her way of life. The paper presents an overview of literature that accurately…

This publication attempts to answer some common questions from adult basic education and General Educational Development teachers about the practice of using children's literature in the adult literacy classroom. Answers include the following: some books in the children's literature market are meant to be read and enjoyed by a wide diversity of…