With a Foreword by Hugh Starkey and Audrey Osler, and Afterwords by Graham Crookes, Hilary Janks and Allan Luke, this book promotes critical language education and illustrates how a critical agenda can be enacted in English language education in real classrooms. It presents four cases located in primary and secondary schools in the province of…

In this formative experiment, we examined interventions in and modifications to literacy instruction in a first-grade classroom with the aim of cultivating a love of reading among the students. Consistent with the design of formative experiments, the teacher established a pedagogical goal of building a love of reading, and throughout the year…

Wikis (websites that can be edited quickly by multiple authors) were used with upper-primary school children to write group reports on a science topic. Two teachers observed the children working, and their observations were used alongside the texts from the wikis and group interviews with children to explore the question of whether using wikis…

Introduces Gary Paulsen as an author who deserves to be discovered and appreciated in the reading and writing workshop setting. Asserts that his appeal is widespread and that he is an author to be read aloud, to be listened to, and to be written about. Suggests activities for using Paulsen's works in the classroom. (PRA)

This book is designed to aid students and teachers in developing an understanding of children's literature. Part one deals with establishing a philosophy about literature and the nature of children and also considers creativity and preparing conditions for the teaching of children's literature. Part two is devoted to poetry for children and to…

An interdisciplinary activity in which students can see how a famous author, Leo Tolstoy, metaphorically applied the integration steps from calculus to illustrate his ideas about how history should be studied is described. The activity provides a startling and energizing conclusion to a unit on applications of integration and provokes students'…

Describes a teaching experiment for the study of literature in which students focus on "special authors" and use is made of such teaching strategies as group work, full class discussion, wide reading, and individual research. (HOD)

Designed to be planned jointly by teachers and school library media specialists, the 60 units of study described in this book suggest ideas for sharing literature that may be used in developing a scope and sequence of literature experiences for children in grades K-5. For primary grades K-2, the activities are primarily arranged through sharing…

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.…

Profiles the author of 28 science books for children, teachers, and parents. Most of the books focus on science fair projects, teaching science to elementary school students, and fun science activities that parents and teachers can use with students. (MDM)

Presents suggestions from 4 teachers on (1) the benefits accrued over 9 years of a visiting authors program at a middle school; (2) using 60-second synopses for better concentration; (3) structured overviews for teaching science concepts and terms; and (4) how musicians see writing differently. (SR)

Great writers can help students find their own stories and style. The article includes one activity that can teach younger students to incorporate their own experiences into their writing and another activity to help seventh- and eighth-grade students recognize the elements that contribute to an author's style. (SM)

An author-study approach to children's literature provides students with a critical tool for text analysis. When students analyze an author's biography, interviews, and collection of work, they see writing as a powerful tool of personal expression. In this article, the author presents a week-to-week plan for analyzing multiple texts from one…

Describes a class activity in which students research one work by Nancy Willard, a contemporary novelist, and then meet Willard to discuss the work. Notes that the students engaged in lively discussions with the novelist. (RS)

Provides guidelines to help teachers set up publication programs for young writers. Whether or not they get published, students benefit from that goal because they are more motivated to be creative. Steps to motivate students toward publication include assessing the market; shaping writing sessions; editing; and preparing for submission. (SM)