An English instructor examined 9 Judy Blume adolescent novels and interviewed 12 students (grades 6, 7, and 8) who had read the novels to look at the world as it was presented in the books and to compare the instructor's own perceptions with those of the adolescent readers. The study revealed that the books did in fact dwell on the problems of…

To assist California school district personnel in their selection of state-adopted instructional materials, this catalog of literature materials consists of four parts. The first, an annotated index of instructional materials identified as basic materials, gives pertinent information about each literature program, including program title, year of…

The use of extracts from works of prose literature for teaching English as a foreign language at intermediate and advanced levels is considered. Attention is directed to the effectiveness of using such extracts as a means of improving the English of foreign learners, and to criteria for the choice and presentation of the extracts. The last six…

Christopher Paul Curtis is an internationally known author of books loved by young adult readers. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963" and "Bud, Not Buddy" have now been joined by "Bucking the Sarge," Curtis' newest book. This article will share information about each of the texts, as well as how they can be used in…

The purpose of the present investigation was to sample the range of texts selected by 21 students in sustained silent reading in a single fourth-grade classroom. Using a sampling technique developed by French and Foster (1992), single pages from sampled texts were evaluated. The evaluation found that most students were reading fiction (n = 14),…

A picture inventory is a useful means of determining reading interests of children in the intermediate grades. (JH)

Using children's books about death as examples, suggests that perhaps we push children too quickly through the developmental tasks of childhood and that more research into the maturation process is needed before we succumb completely to "reality" teaching. (TO)

Through careful selection of trade books, teachers can promote children's awareness of language. This paper cites numerous trade books that may be used to help children develop appreciation of alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme, and it recommends a number of alphabet books, animal stories, and books in which word meanings, interesting…

Before launching any publications, a newly formed publishing company in New Delhi, India, surveyed its potential readership to develop a demographic overview of the community, to determine patterns and preferences of magazine use, and to develop a profile of perceived and real readership needs. A questionnaire eliciting such information was given…

A study was conducted to determine if the "New Realism" in adolescent literature provided a more realistic picture of the psychological and social characteristics of adolescents than did earlier forms of the genre. An analysis was conducted of five novels written before 1960 and five written after that date to determine themes of identity and the…

The purpose of this booklet is to assist local schools in making thorough assessments of instructional materials for textbook adoption. The booklet contains a checklist for evaluating instructional materials, a checklist summary sheet, and an appendix explaining readability analyses. The checklist is divided into eight sections: physical features…

The Nancy Drew adventure series, a classic girls' favorite for over 50 years, offers less sex role stereotyping and sexist cultural indoctrination than the majority of reading textbooks now used in the elementary school classroom. Textbooks were excluded from the Title IX regulations of the 1972 Education Amendments, and a review of studies…

Selections from the last three basal reading series produced by the Houghton Mifflin Company were examined to determine what improvements were made. One of the fundamental changes occurring in the 1971 revision ("Readers") was the replacement of grade designations with numerical levels that provided a better match between student and…

Trade books offer both teachers and students a basic learning tool that can help make learning in the content areas more personal and meaningful. Teachers can use trade books as background reading, for planning units of study, as resource materials in teaching, and as part of the total reading program. Students can use trade books for research…

A study was conducted to provide an understanding of teacher decision making as it shaped the course of reading instruction. Specifically, through an analytical description of the patterns of teacher decision making, the study sought to identify and classify the decisions four teachers made and to describe how those decisions were reflected in…