Demonstrates that literacy practices may be more usefully viewed when situated in the larger contexts within which they exist. Examines the impact of social, cultural, and linguistic factors on oral reading in China's elementary schools. (SR)

Shares the authors' personal narratives attempting to shed light on the many paths there are to literacy, especially when the gifts and talents that diverse families bring to education are honored and respected by caring and trusting educators. Imparts how their families' hopes and dreams made a decided difference in their education, future…

Discusses the need for public libraries to broaden their services to preschool children in family daycare settings and describes Project Booktalk, developed by the University of Florida to provide students with opportunities to become involved in early language and literacy development practices by reading to children in family daycare settings.…

Describes six basic formats that can be used to teach reading in the elementary classroom: shared reading, read-aloud, guided reading, Readers Theatre, sustained silent reading, and literature circles. Includes descriptions of the focus of instruction, suggestions for implementation strategies, and examples of materials that could be utilized.…

A 2-year project taught reading methods and provided culturally appropriate books for Spanish-speaking and English-speaking families (year 1, 1,013 families; year 2, 1,408 families). Data from home visits and follow-up surveys (n=207) revealed that positive parent/child interaction and time spent reading to children increased and the number of…

Investigated the relationships of expressive vocabulary size with frequency of being read to and frequency of watching television among 64 bilingual 21- 27-month-old children from homes in which Spanish and English were spoken. Frequency of being read to in each language was positively correlated with expressive vocabulary size. Frequency of…

Discusses the advantages of one-on-one, side-by-side reading, which make it an essential complement to group story-reading. Outlines how teachers can implement one-on-one reading in their classrooms. (MM)

Describes a series of activities (including reading aloud daily, palindromes, acrostics, and word games) designed to help community college developmental readers enjoy print. (RS)

Annotates and reintroduces teachers to 68 trade books which are suitable for reading aloud; some are old favorites, some are recently reissued, some celebrating milestone birthdays, and a few have never gone out of print. (MG)

Argues that reading aloud by students is a useful and necessary skill. Discusses the various purposes, types, and amounts of oral reading needed for effective reading instruction in the elementary classroom. (MG)

Reports that inner city remedial reading students self-selected traditional fairy tales over more contemporary stories available to them. Cites the work of Bruno Bettelheim and Karen Zelan, who suggest that these children select such materials to find intrinsic meaning. Argues that reading aloud to children is a valuable if not necessary means of…

Investigates the extent that reading aloud to children in the classroom aids them in acquiring new vocabulary. Finds that oral story reading constitutes a significant source of vocabulary acquisition, whether or not the reading is accompanied by teacher explanation of word meanings. (RS)

Discusses how reading aloud to students improves their reading competencies, including language processes, reading and listening skills, and reading motivation. Concludes that reading aloud should be a regular part of a daily classroom schedule. (MM)

Determines whether reading aloud the same story to six first-grade students increased their story comprehension. Finds a positive relationship between repeated read-alouds and story comprehension. Discusses implications for instruction. (RS)

Details how storytelling could function as a rich, multicultural pedagogy. Explores how storytelling can be grounded in the oral traditions of African and East Indian cultures. Locates a series of skills that emerge from storytelling activities. (RS)