Examines the effects of increasing adolescents' awareness of their own response strategies to reading. Illustrates the importance of ensuring that all students discover for themselves not only what they have learned, but how they have learned it. (SR)

Discussion of computer-assisted learning (CAL) versus book learning focuses on software called a book emulator that was applied to CAL to reflect desirable attributes of learning from books. A project at the University of York that used the book emulator in an electronics course is described, and future possibilities are suggested. (12 references)…

Explores the effects of Toni Morrison's novel, "Beloved," on readers. Explains that it maps a new direction for the African-American apocalyptic tradition because Morrison relocated the arena of racial battle from the streets to the African-American psyche where memories of the atrocities of the past have been buried. (JS)

Explores how child readers in Australia and Germany responded to Randolph Stow's "Midnite." Reports on responses from taped interviews conducted in each country, examining both child and adult responses to the ironic humor of the work. (MG)

Examines the relationship between recent research on metacognition and schema theory. Provides practical teaching suggestions, showing how these concepts can be used as a framework for language instruction and for analyzing tasks students are asked to perform. (RAE)

Examines 773 elementary-age children's choices of hard- and paper-backed trade books to determine cover preference. Reveals that paperbacks were preferred. Notes that children's reasons for selecting books did not significantly differ by sex, race, grade level, or any combinations. (RAE)

Reviews the growing body of work that examines reading as a process occurring within a social context and having social consequences. Three categories within this literature are examined: studies of literacy and its sociocultural role; the history of the book; and the meaning of reading as an activity. Notes and a bibliography is appended. (15…

Paints a portrait of a students' varied experiences with literature, and explains how the teacher brings the reading process to a conscious level with students and parents to help them appreciate readers' strengths. Intertwines several case studies of students and their awareness (or lack of awareness) of their own reading strategies. (RS)

Examines the individual differences in cognitive styles of black male elementary school students to determine the implications of these differences for reading comprehension processes, especially of expository text. Results from 43 4th-grade students from 3 urban public schools reveal differences in reading comprehension for low and high…

Shares reflections on what makes a book memorable, from teachers of all levels gathered at a "literacy club" luncheon. Discusses implications for teaching. Appends a list of 65 trade books, children's books, young adult books, poetry books, and professional books chosen as memorable by attendees at the luncheon. (SR)

Investigates hypothesis that topic familiarity and assessed difficulty of a text correlate positively with performance on reading comprehension tests. A study of 177 advanced students of English for Specific Purposes indicates that students' subjective evaluation of the relative difficulty of a reading text is not always a reliable index of their…

A theory of literary interpretation that treats the reader's interaction with text as a form of conversation is discussed, and related teaching techniques are described. The approach uses four steps: (1) articulating initial responses; (2) pursuing deeper understanding of the text; (3) interaction with the text; and (4) identifying possibilities…

Interviews elementary children about their fiction writing to gain a glimpse into how writing teachers might improve their teaching. Found the following three features in students' growing knowledge of characters: characters can elicit readers' empathy, can change the attitude of the readers, and can have a mind of their own. (MG)

Describes 12 successful practices for literature programs which evolved as students and teachers talked about books. Finds that these practices minimize the basalization of literature and maximize the analysis of and dialogue about literature. (MG)

Offers guidelines for using literature in the primary classroom. Shares the experiences of first graders with the book "Owl Moon." Notes that it is important to retain the essence of the story--to demonstrate for young readers how readers connect with books. (MG)