This report explains why reading story books to young children (an activity assumed to help in the acquisition of literacy, although there is no unambiguous evidence in support of this assumption) is likely to be important and reviews the evidence about the role it might play in literacy development. The first section of the report examines…

A practicum was conducted to improve the listening skills of a first grade class in a public elementary school in a mostly Hispanic residential community. A listening program was developed and implemented to increase listening skills. Storytelling was the main strategy used, and it was implemented daily. Other listening activities were also…

Recognizing that exposure to storytelling and reading aloud enhance children's language skills and their enjoyment of literature, this book provides a rationale and suggestions for storytelling and reading aloud both in and beyond the classroom. The first chapter explores various nursery rhymes from around the world, and how this oral tradition…

This manual outlines a coding system for the categorization of social action performed in talking, in the context of mother-infant interaction. The system, constructed for investigating the acquisition of language for social-communicative purposes, codes talk on two levels: the single utterance, and the interchange. Both kinds of units are defined…

Recent research suggests that an understanding of a simple children's story can demand sophisticated knowledge of concepts, social life, and literary forms. A well-written story for beginning readers will relate goal-directed event sequences in a coherent and relatively complete form, but understanding the story involves processes extending beyond…

This paper presents an informal account of two studies concerned with the significant positive effect which students reading to a parent or other adult has on the students' reading performance. The paper describes the first study, conducted between 1975/76 and 1978/79 in London, in which over 2000 multiracial, working class children took books…

Noting that very few reading programs exist in nursing homes, a study surveyed the need for and content of reading services for residents of skilled and intermediate care facilities. The facilities responding to the survey represented 1,800 residents and provided information on their reading activities, available resources, special equipment,…

The experiences of one child's storytelling events over a period of nine months were tape recorded in a study that examined which variables were the most important in the child's learning of narrative. The variables considered took into account the impact of different storytellers, different story genres, different interactions (kinds of parental…

Research has confirmed that what parents view as being important for their children to learn and how they believe their children are able to learn are reflected in both the learning opportunities parents provide in the home and the teaching strategies they use with their children. Tape recordings of children and their parents during planned…

Offers an appreciation of "Tuck Everlasting," a young adult novel by Natalie Babbitt, which deals with death and the purpose of life, and recommends it particularly for reading aloud in the classroom. (NKA)

Suggests that the figure of the bear (and animals in general) in children's literature is a pleasing one to children, and helps them learn to love their instinctive, natural selves. (JC)

Ashley Bryan, known for his distinctive illustrations on African themes and written and oral presentations of African folktales, responds to questions on his background, career, design process, and oral presentations. (SD)

Lists 27 suggestions for improving reading, including asking for educated guesses at unknown words and reading with children while holding the book so that children can see the words. (DF)

Finds that kindergarteners in schools where children tend to succeed owned far more books and were read to at home far more often than were children in less successful schools. (FL)

This book is about meeting the needs of all students--especially those in the intermediate grades with mild to moderate disabilities who need special education services--by teaching them in inclusive, general education classrooms where literacy is a personal, academic, and social event in which children are immersed all day. The book tells about…