Proposes that the use of pattern books (literature with patterned or structured language that enables children to predict the next word, line, or episode) aids children's early reading and writing attempts. Introduces a five-day plan for implementing pattern books into the reading/writing curriculum. Includes a bibliography of books with…

Reports findings of a survey in which approximately 800 fifth and sixth grade students chose their favorite children's "classics." (FL)

Presents examples of ways in which teachers of young children can use wordless books to encourage children of differing abilities to construct stories. Each example is followed by an important point for the teacher to remember. (BB)

Describes two interactive computer programs of juvenile literature that young readers can use to search for books they might enjoy reading. The hardware and software requirements, database features, search strategies, and topics included in the databases are discussed. (13 references) (CLB)

Reports on five studies which investigated reading for pleasure. Finds that this reading is characterized by within-text reading rate variability, is more arousing physiologically than other waking activities, and gives readers a feeling of control. Also finds that the Fog Index of readability predicts readers' preferences and difficulty rankings.…

Describes how an English teacher in a Queens, New York, ghetto school introduced her grade nine students to Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations." Focuses on students' responses, which eventually became enthusiastic, and discusses the use of classics within the curriculum. (KH)

Explores several concepts relevant to instructional materials that emerged from seminars sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Describes how basal readers--so prevalent in instruction--fall short of these concepts, and what can be done to improve instruction. (HTH)

Suggests there is a need for a new teaching model which will enable second-language students to integrate the formal, cultural, and informational features of the language on which competency is based. This model should be based on the use of authentic texts which reflect the values of the foreign population. (SED)

Suggests sports literature as an alternative to traditional course work in high school reading classes. Explains how best to use it. (FL)

Examines the implications of structuralism for reading and English instruction. Argues that, according to Structuralism, literature worth reading confronts readers with the gap between writing and thought and forces them to consider their own thinking and, in a larger sense, their own place within the culture. (MM)

Argues that Richard Wright's "Black Boy" is appropriate for ninth-grade students because it combines an exciting story of survival with effective prose, forces readers to try to understand their own experiences in the light of the protagonist's, and intimately involves students in such universal concerns as suffering, violence, and…

Provides a rationale for using bibliotherapy, then examines the proper way to administer it. (FL)

The author describes what future teachers should know about the quality, opinions of, developmental stages in; and the variety, use, and availability of adolescent literature in the years to come. (CRH)

Defines the term "cognitively disabled"; discusses some of the negative assumptions about the cognitively disabled found in many books, while simultaneously noting the books' positive aspects; and provides an annotated bibliography of books that deal with cognitively disabled people. (FL)

Discussion covers literature education needs, the principle underlying the selection of artistic works for the literature course, the system for the study of artistic work, and content and structure of the literature course. (ND)