Encourages the use of storytelling in the classroom as a method for developing verbal, written, and reading skills, as well as non-verbal communication skills. Offers guidelines and specific activities for involving students in storytelling. (RAE)

Examined the practice of emergent reading, in which preschool children practice readinglike behaviors by retelling a story that has been read to them based on the pictures and text in a book. Found that eight preschoolers in a Head Start program could successfully "read" key points in an illustrated storybook. Contains suggestions to…

Describes an innovative middle school program (called Family Reading) where a family-like atmosphere of attentiveness and helpfulness characterizes student interactions as they develop and practice strategies for reading aloud with younger children. Discusses children's literature and strategy learning and the family component of the project. (SR)

Investigated whether specific strategies of commenting or questioning by the adult reader would influence the complexity and type of spontaneous comments to story details made by children listening to stories. Results suggest that parents and teachers should combine questioning and commenting during storybook readings to induce lengthier comments…

Investigates whether listening to stories in literary Arabic would have salutary effects on kindergarten children's emergent literacy skills. Finds that children in the experimental classes outperformed control classes on comprehension and active use of language. Concludes that children can acquire a second register through exposure in school…

A retired library school professor discusses his current involvement with children's literature and library story hours. He describes his experiences learning to do story telling; choosing stories; and using puppets, music, and fingerplays at a local public library. Sources of information are recommended. (Contains 12 references.) (EAM)

Presents answers to 12 questions parents might have about reading aloud to young children (e.g., why, how, when to begin, teaching reading, building a love of books, choosing books, and the whole-language approach). The article discusses the educational advantage reading aloud gives to children in their early years. (SM)

Describes a read-aloud program, "Language to Literacy," now used in several Texas school districts. Describes how language charts are used to record ideas from stories, help recall other stories, and notice similarities and differences among stories. (MG)

A fifth grade teacher describes how by reading classic literature aloud to her students each day, she helped them along the road to literature-based learning. She discusses the advantages of the whole-language approach. (SM)

It is argued that reading aloud to children in school is an important vehicle for developing a child's feelings and their correlative values. In response to possible charges of indoctrination, the author draws a parallel between first-language learning and the learning of a repertoire of feeling. (seven references) (Author/LB)

A system is described in which blind persons use telefacsimile machines to send unknown print to readers at a centralized readers' service, and facsimiles of the items are read to the senders over voice telephones. The article describes the specifications for equipment and protocols and presents preliminary findings concerning the system's…

Describes a year-long project in a first-grade class that established parallel literacy practices at home and in school, including reading books and writing dialog journals. (SR)

Investigates whether so-called poor spellers who are good readers are indeed good readers. Finds that three college students who appeared to be poor spellers but good readers were inefficient readers who committed numerous errors while reading aloud. Concludes that reading aloud and spelling involve phonological mediation and are not completely…

Describes how the authors worked with five groups of second and fourth graders using picture books written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco in a project that involved reading Polacco's books aloud to the children, encouraging their aesthetic engagement with books, valuing children's questions, and culminating in a session in which children…

Describes how teachers can support hearing parents in the use of strategies for reading effectively to children with deafness. Discusses using visual strategies for reading such as sign placement, text paired with sign demonstration, real-world connection between text and child's experience, and physical demonstration of character changes. (CR)