Provides first-hand accounts of the success of reading classical literature to elementary school children. Discusses the various projects that students have created after reading great literature. Illustrates the ways teachers have incorporated the use of the classics into their curriculum. (JS)

Reviews 10 of the 20 "Hob Stories" written by William Mayne. Discusses characteristics of the stories and compares them to the books Mayne has written for older children. (MG)

Adults and third, fifth, and eighth graders read stories implying a consequence and were asked questions about the stories. Results indicated that subjects were not as likely to generate elaborative inferences as inferences that were necessary for story comprehension. Some age differences were found. (BC)

This article reflects on the use of stories as learning tools for children unable to speak and shows how stories provide a medium for imagination and playfulness. Language has the power to liberate and enhance the lives of children limited in their physical independence. Stories can aid such children in being understood and in developing language…

Researchers observed teachers in 25 intermediate grade classrooms for 2 nonconsecutive lessons during reading comprehension instruction to examine the nature of the prereading lessons. Teachers engaged in various prereading activities, some of which facilitated student cognitive involvement and many of which did not encourage students to become…

A study explored the problem solving abilities of 15 children (ages 3-6). A medical problem with a known solution was presented in the form of a children's story. Results showed that after reading the story, four suggested the correct solution. Other non-practical, but creative solutions were also suggested. (Contains seven references.) (CR)

This study examined young children's growth, over time, in phonics knowledge, word-recognition, and fluent oral reading. Correlations and causal relationships among these variables were explored in an attempt to identify the foundational knowledge and skills needed for reading fluency. Measures of phonics knowledge, word-recognition development,…

The article provides information on how to optimise the shared storybook reading interactions of children with little or no functional speech in order to facilitate their language development. Information on the benefits of early literacy experiences and shared storybook reading are reviewed as well as information on the shared storybook reading…

The purposes of this study were: (1) to implement an intervention approach for children with language and phonological impairments, targeting multiple linguistic domains within a unitary activity, and (2) to investigate whether any observed changes in selected outcome measures were associated with particular scaffolding procedures. The…

This study investigated the family reading behavior of 233 preschool children from low-income backgrounds who were attending Head Start. Parents completed a survey of their family reading behavior, including Child Reading, Parent Reading Interest, and Parent-Child Reading Interaction, and provided demographic data on their educational level,…

Mothers read stories to their children (N = 41) aged between 3.3 years and 5.11 years old, and children then completed two false-belief tasks. One year later, mothers read a story to 37 of those children who were also given four tasks to assess their advanced understanding of mental states. Mothers' early use of cognitive verbs in picture-book…

Early childhood teachers are faced with many more choices and decisions regarding the development of their curriculum than ever before. The development of state standards for young children in prekindergarten (pre-K) programs not only provides guidance but also places demands on content that must be addressed. Finding the time to plan creative…

The researchers addressed two questions: (1) Does maternal reading mediation and family home literacy environment (HLE) relate to children's emergent literacy (EL) level? and (2) Do the relationships among these variables differ as a function of socioeconomic strata (SES) level. A total of 94 5-6-year-old children, 47 from low SES (LSES) and 47…

When sharing stories with children they often embody the characters, and participate in the actions of the book without even thinking about it. Their wiggles and shouts would tell that they are "in" the story. Children's spontaneous movements, sounds, and rhythms allow them to become part of the story's action. In this article, the author suggests…

This paper presents "popcorn story frames"--holistic outlines that facilitate comprehension when reading and writing stories, useful for outlining stories read and for creating outlines for original student stories--that are particularly useful for elementary and intermediate school students. "Popcorn" pops in a horizontal…