Researchers examined whether there were differences in the way elementary history textbook and trade book passages were structured. Analyses of text structure in topic-similar passages from both types of books indicated trade books were more comprehensible than history textbooks by being better structured and more coherent. (SM)

Describes an approach, called "Questioning the Author," that is targeted toward getting young readers to engage with their textbooks--to really consider ideas deeply. Notes that the approach attempts to actualize the presence of an author, understand the author as a fallible transmitter of ideas, and transform author's ideas into readers' ideas.…

Discusses Biblical narratives for children and suggests criteria to use for assessing Bible story books. Twelve examples of good books are described, including picture books as well as stories for older children. Features that are discussed include illustrations, use of color, readability, and racial assumptions. (LRW)

Offers an overview of "people first language," language which aims to create a positive view of people with disabilities in place of insensitive portrayals that stereotype and discriminate. Presents results of a readability analysis of such language, and suggests ways such terminology can be integrated into middle and high schools. (SR)

Describes the FORECAST readability formula for adults working with job materials, which was developed in the early 1970s. Suggests that it is a better measure of who wants and needs basic skills than the International Adult Literacy Survey. (JOW)

Readability and usability problems with patient information leaflets continue to be reported despite long-standing recognition of their existence and the availability of guidelines for developing health education materials. This exploratory study examined possible causes for such problems, based on interviews with professionals who developed…

Intended to address the problems associated with functionally illiterate students, this manual provides vocational educators with strategies for incorporating reading skills into specific content area instruction. The exercises stress the skills necessary to assess vocational classroom reading materials, develop content specific vocabulary, and…

Medical Assisting Reading Strategies is one of five instructional guides in the Reading Strategies in Vocational Education Series. Developed to assist teachers working with students considered disadvantaged because of reading deficiency, the guide contains several strategies, suitable for adaptation, specifically related to medical assisting…

Training students in assessment can not only help lighten grading load but also--and more importantly--equip students with a lifelong skill. The goal of educators in grading is to reinforce teaching concepts by identifying students' strengths and weaknesses. If educators require students to create Web site as a class project, this can become a…

A study investigated whether informational graphics help attract the reader to a newspaper story, prolong reader interaction, and increase reader knowledge. Five versions of a small informational graphic and a related 10-inch non-lead story published on the bottom of a newspaper page were tested on 300 participants (a non-probability sample of…

A study investigated college students' reactions to a news story written in the traditional "inverted pyramid" format and the same story rearranged into a "mapped" format (where similar information is gathered under heads and subheads). Seventy students were given the story in either the "mapped" or the traditional…

The act of communicating is not complete until the message is received and understood by the audience. This paper focuses on formulating messages for comprehensibility, in a discussion that is fundamentally applicable to all media. The ability to understand a verbovisual message depends on its readability, legibility, and its reading value.…

It is productive to think about literacy in ecological terms inasmuch as the literacy problem is a system of interdependent components. Illiteracy must be a concern of writers of the myriad of forms on which both the private and public sectors rely to function in this information-intensive society. In addition to helping readers, adult literacy…

This paper recognizes that critics of the "plain language movement" point out that what is "plain" to one audience may mystify and confuse another. It adds that questions such as "Plain language for whom?" and "How can we know whether a text is written in plain language?" raise legitimate concerns about the…

A study compared the mean reading abilities of one college's entering freshmen students with the readability levels of several freshman-level mathematics and English textbooks assigned to them. The mean student reading ability was ascertained through an analysis of reading test scores, while text readability levels were determined through the use…