Evaluates the reader-protocol method of teaching writers to anticipate readers' comprehension needs. Involves asking writers to predict readers' problems with a text and providing them with reader responses. Finds that writers taught with the reader-protocol method improved more than writers in control classes, and increased in their ability to…

Reviews 17 recent young adult books that might appeal to the late elementary/middle school/junior-high-age children. Discusses the use of corollary text to help readers make connections between recent young adult literature and older, often classic literature. (MG)

Examines effectiveness of project designed to increase inner-city children's opportunities to interact with storybooks in their classrooms and at home. Finds that 75% of children interacted with storybooks at a higher level of emergent reading at the end of the project, and 10 of the 28 children attempted to track print at postassessment, whereas…

Examines the approaches students use when reading for literary and informational purposes. Finds four recursive stances readers take in relation to the text: (1) being out and stepping into an envisionment; (2) being in and moving through an envisionment; (3) stepping back and rethinking what one knows; and (4) stepping out and objectifying the…

Describes study that examined how Australian distance education students use and learn from textual materials. Text processing strategies and rates of progress are examined; textual features including study guides, table of contents, cross-referencing, and visual aids are considered; and recommendations for improving learning from textual…

Examines one "Teachers as Readers" group, in which teachers meet to read and discuss children's literature. Finds that (1) reading can be defined as making meaning from picture book illustrations; (2) collaboration can be defined as listening to students; and (3) readers respond differently to books based on the beliefs and values they…

Describes the work of two literacy educators who volunteered for Language to Literacy in Belize, a program of teacher education. Shares journal entries about teachers helping make connections between their lives and books when they talked about stories; conceptual and language growth children experienced when they read and responded to literature;…

Finds and describes five text characteristics that are most positively associated with interest in expository text, and three most negatively associated. Shows that interest and importance were highly correlated, and that information rated as both interesting and important was recalled best. (SR)

Examines individual literary-response styles of several first- or second-grade children by analyzing their talk about books. Finds five types of responses (analytical, intertextual, personalizing, transparent, and performative responses). Discusses the discernible differences and unique perspectives in at least some children's individual literary…

Presents a case study chronicling the written, oral, and fine art responses of four transitional readers and writers (second- and third-grade students) to the picture books of Patricia Polacco and Gerald McDermott. Discusses their responses in three categories: descriptive responses, interpretive responses, and thematic trends. (SR)

Describes "Character Interviews," a class activity that guides children, especially reluctant readers, to the meaning of a story through a thoughtful understanding of character as they consider a character's emotions and motives, to respond to a question as that character would. Describes the interview process. Offers sample interviews…

Discusses how psychologists use affect, behavior, and cognition (ABCs) to understand people. Argues that teachers can use these same three domains to learn more about readers, and to assess the ABCs of attitude toward the reading experience. Recommends the use of literature circles and dialog journals as simple, effective instructional techniques…

Looks critically at the theoretical and ideological underpinnings of the practice of story mapping. Discovers a deep contradiction between the author's definition of reading as a constructive process and the reductionist nature of story mapping, which inhibits students' potential to explore a diverse range of personal responses by promoting…

Looks at the characteristics of outstanding historical fiction including its literary qualities and criteria associated with authenticity. Discusses how teachers invite readers to approach their experiences with these novels. Looks at the role of historical fiction in today's classrooms. Presents brief annotations of 25 outstanding works of…

Describes a small-scale experiment in which five professional writers were asked to revise brochure fragments based on the feedback from readers. Discusses the type of feedback collected from readers and how the experiment focused on the revision phase following formative text evaluation. (SG)