Examines changing patterns in the school population and in reading achievement as reflections of social change. (MM)

A teacher who once relied on a reading skills program describes her conversion to an approach that emphasizes the reading of books. A substantial part of each class period is set aside for free reading time. A sampling of book projects used to focus students' efforts is included. (PP)

Presents and discusses the resolution concerning reading material availability that was passed by delegates at the 1980 convention of the International Reading Association in response to pressures from special interest groups. (FL)

Reports on the author's shift from depending on popular adolescent novels to the more traditional "classics" as the reading materials for his literature classes. (RL)

Argues that using the themes and stories of humans' earliest heritage can enhance language and learning for children. (FL)

Discusses acceptable and unacceptable treatments of Mexico, its people, and culture in books for children and young adults. (MKM)

Analyzes the way fairy tales reflect and clarify real-life situations, human behavior, and moral values, enabling children to contemplate powerful and urgent themes. (GT)

Reading can and should be taught in every subject area. Project C.A.R.E. shows how. (Editor)

Describes a political science class that focused on the interconnections between the Iran-Contra political scandal and United States Latin American policies. The class considered relevant aspects of that foreign policy as well as presidential leadership styles, congressional inquiries, bureaucratic politics, and public opinion. Briefly reviews the…

Describes how a multicultural unit was added to a high school American literature course, noting that this necessitated selecting a large number of new books for the school library. Discusses goals of the multicultural project and its main interpretive assignment. Describes briefly selected works by four new African American writers and four new…

Argues that making ethnic-specific literature integral to the literature program enhances a sense of community. Describes ways of exploring and reading ethnic-specific literature, and lists some titles for adults, young adults, and children. Offers criteria for selecting books, and suggests ways to create a community of readers using literature…

Describes and discusses an evaluation procedure for middle school literature study guides that uses a combination of three frameworks: J. Langer's model of literature study, H. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, and B. Cambourne's conditions for learning. Uses the evaluation procedure to compare two study guides for a historical fiction…

Contends that when teachers use theme as a guiding force for instruction rather than the single text, students of diverse reading abilities can benefit. Notes that one advantage of a multi-book, single-theme approach with children's literature is that readers of all levels can participate because books of all levels can be used. Concludes that…

This article discusses how text variables interact with reader, strategy, and task variables to affect readability, including text coherence, text organization, signaling, and text structure. It considers how classic readability formulas, in concert with consideration of text, text reader, and strategy variables, can be used to match texts to…