Characterizes ecofeminism by describing its six major claims. Aims to widen the circle of concerns in the teaching of reading and writing to include (in addition to race, gender and class) what ecofeminists recommend to save the natural world. (TB)

Investigates what happens when parents are invited and encouraged to share their own knowledge and insight of their children's literacy development with teachers. Finds that such sharing can help teachers design instruction to better meet students' needs. (SR)

Reprints an exemplary article published in this journal in 1955, which points out that phonics is only one part of a total reading program. Emphasizes the fact that meaning for the reader must be the essential part of all reading instruction. (SR)

Offers an account of school literacy development for all children. Uses a metaphoric "drinking god" to capture the influence that children's nonacademic textual experiences have on their entry into school literacy. Aims to describe how children use old resources from familiar practices and adapt them to enter into new ones. (SG)

Notes that "Light Bulb Reading" is done in short, one-on-one, daily lessons that include oral reading with note-taking and discussions about miscues, skills, and strategies. Suggests that this is an effective approach for assisting struggling readers that focuses on specific, individual, assessed needs. Outlines an 11-step plan. (SG)

Suggests that children learn to use language in culturally specific ways. Presents three ways in which to connect children to text: choosing books that relate to children's lives; teaching book reading behaviors explicitly; and making books come alive. (SG)

Shares five activities for use in the classroom that require active participation in reading by all students. Notes that in addition to ensuring time with text, the activities incorporate repeated reading, a practice that has been demonstrated to have a positive impact on students' reading ability. (SG)

This article provides suggestions for strategies that can be used to promote literacy learning across five stages of word reading development. Examples of the experiences of people with autism who have become successful readers are included to illustrate the importance of promoting literacy development for all learners. (Contains references.)…

Describes what students had to say about parental roles. Includes students' views about parental roles in real life, their expectations of parental roles in realistic and historical novels, their impressions of the parents they encountered in the selected books, and a comparison across genres about these parental characters. Presents guidelines…

Notes that the goal of phonics instruction is to help students develop the alphabetic principle. Explains how the words "explicit" and "systematic" are used in multiple ways in the context of phonics instruction. Suggests that educators should engage in serious discussions about how multiple approaches to phonics instruction…

Examines the assumptions that underlie critical reading and critical literacy. Argues that there are fundamental philosophical distinctions between liberal-humanist critical reading and critical literacy, and demonstrates why educators need to acknowledge and understand these differences. Suggests that practices associated with critical literacy…

Highlights the types of inferences four students in grades 2-5 drew while constructing meaning from expository passages. Includes an analysis of their think alouds and recommendations for comprehension instruction. Explores what factors contribute to successful inferencing. Sheds new light on the range of strategies elementary grade students use…

Findings from a study of 108 Swedish-speaking Finnish kindergarten children show that the benefits of phonological training on reading skills can be obtained even in less favorable conditions with a smaller dose of training than that studies by I. Lundberg and others (1988) when the kindergarten culture is full of knowledge of phonological…

Describes an assignment in which the preservice teacher must find a connection between science and Shakespeare. Connects the science of the witches in Shakespeare's "Macbeth" to the holistic approach of education. (SG)

Presents annotations of 30 trade books on this year's list of Young Adults' choices that are the results of voting by students in five different regions of the United States. Notes that the books selected were published in 2001 and each book had to have at least two positive reviews from recognized sources. (SG)