This book offers a broad range of perspectives on the study of literacy in which reading and writing is examined as it occurs in classrooms, businesses, communities, and families, among other settings. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "In Search of Meaning" (Judith Green); (2) "The Development of Literacy: Access, Acquisition and…

This article argues that discussions of folktales would be more meaningful if their brief existence as "ideal tales" in a narrative contract could be accepted. The article focuses on the concept of a folktale as an object of experience and of study, by a sustained discussion and charting of the tortuous ways by which so-called folktales…

In developing an interactive model of composing, this paper discusses three groups of reader-oriented theories, each of which provides composing theorists with some research and theory to use in developing such a model. First the paper discusses the main principle of the literary reader-response theorists--that the meaning and value of texts do…

Suggests a parallelism between children's mastery of mental language and their thinking about the world. Recounts a study in which children's mastery of verbs was measured and a relationship between reading skill and looking to the text to justify answers was established. (AEW)

Describes technological images presented to children through television, movies, and science fiction, and explores the possible effects of these images on meanings derived by young readers. The use of speculative fiction to explore personal and social values is discussed. (Five references) (CLB)

Examines the effects of direct instruction in finding the main idea of an expository text, and in monitoring reading comprehension using self-generated questions based on main ideas. Reports that reading comprehension improved with direct instruction in main idea and question generating. (MM)

Evaluates Phil Ritchie's research report (same issue) on the effects of direct instruction in finding the main idea of expository texts and using self-generated questions to monitor text comprehension. Points out that the most successful teachers of comprehension are teaching comprehension skills directly. (MM)

Suggests three levels of reading. The first is exemplified by E. D. Hirsch's prescriptive "cultural literacy." The second is interpretive, typified by the "strong reader." The third is critical and is best suited to dealing with the complexities of poetry. (ARH)

Proposes that prediction and production variables used together tap both text and reader factors and provide a much improved analysis of readability. Finds that this kind of analysis will lead to more specific kinds of pedagogical strategies for teaching writing. (MS)

Encourages teachers to evaluate the strategies used by their students in comprehension. Argues that this will provide information that will help in planning instruction. (FL)

Concludes that a cloze strategy, which induced students to integrate text information with prior knowledge, yielded superior gains in comprehension compared to treatments that did not include the strategy. (FL)

Discusses writers, readers, and the enactment of roles in society through the notion of "textual community." Considers the meaning of the term "text" in this context, the problem of reading, and some of the behavioral principles that lie behind personal and group narratives. (JD)

Discusses ways of relating students' personal experiences to complex modern literature such as Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist" and Eliot's "The Wasteland" so that they can better understand and relate to these texts. Also discusses the use of paintings to help students see the literature and then analyze it. (SRT)

Shows how the enthymeme can organize a reader's participation in the text, specifically, George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant." (SRT)

Presents some personal experimental work relating to world metaphors together with that of others working in the areas of logic, psychology, and philosophy. (NKA)