Attempts to clarify the social concepts and reality of rationalization and deskilling as they apply to the teaching of reading in U.S. elementary schools and how the teaching of reading connects with the social structure and students' and teachers' lives in and beyond the classroom. (RS)

Discusses four philosophies of education (existentialism, realism, experimentalism, and idealism) and their implications for the reading curriculum. (SR)

Explores how asking students to abstract a theme statement from a literary text as a main reading objective can actually disempower students' reading experience. Bases the claims on original research on how 288 readers read a short story. Considers how teachers might more profitably talk about theme. (HB)

Presents an instructional approach designed to teach students to return to the text to verify and/or clarify information; consider multiple interpretations; identify reasons to support interpretations; and evaluate the acceptability and relevance of competing or alternative interpretations. States that the goal is to foster critical thinking and…

Discusses using software along with a "textset" of two books related by theme and topic. Describes two examples that use the software's topic or theme to introduce students to a pair of books. Shows how connections between the software and the books become the impetus for off-line and on-line writing activities. (PRA)

Looks at 10 collections of poetry that helped to change attitudes during the 1980s toward poetry in classrooms. (MG)

Describes how the 16 permanent lists used by a first grade reading teacher (and mother of 6) to manage the household represents the whole range of documents covered in the 3 major types of documents: matrix documents, graphic documents, and locative documents. Suggests class activities to clarify students' understanding of the information in…

Provides a nine-item annotated bibliography of publications in the ERIC database related to literature and the language arts. Offers useful resources that satisfy a variety of professional needs. (MG)

After replacing its basal readers with a literature series, Tucson (Arizona) schools piloted a study group approach supporting long-term, innovative changes in reading instruction. Study groups gave teachers the chance to consider their beliefs, share ideas, challenge current practices, blend theory and practice, identify professional and personal…

Presents five grouping patterns for whole-language classrooms, intended to provide children with flexibility and complement other approaches to organizing instruction: shared reading, sharing meetings, literature circles, skill groups, and strategy groups. (SR)

Argues that educators must address the challenge of helping all students read fluently. Presents strategies to improve student performance in reading speed, accuracy, and the ability to chunk meaning into units or gists. Advises teachers to encourage students to increase reading speed as they encounter an unfamiliar word, use repeated readings,…

Presents a brief introduction to literature-based reading instruction. Presents annotations of 15 conference papers, books, and journal articles in the ERIC database and published between 1990 and 1992 on the topic. (RS)

Describes one teacher's methods for introducing to secondary English students the concepts of resistant reading and critical thinking. Describes the positive and negative aspects of resistant reading and theoretical frameworks for talking about it. (HB)

Describes a reading model that suggests seven components essential for meeting the reading instructional needs of all students in a school. Notes that the model provides differentiated instruction for below-average, average, and above-average readers. (SR)

A discussion of the relationship between background knowledge and reading comprehension examines evidence that American students have insufficient world knowledge and reading ability for the demands of higher education, and suggests methods instructors can use to enrich students' prior knowledge to enhance reading comprehension. (Author/MSE)