Instructional design is an integral part of a balanced approach to teaching vocabulary instruction. The goal of this paper is to reflect on several lessons using research-based vocabulary strategies, and to present think-alouds that detail the steps in matching instructional design with those strategies in order to reach the learning outcome.…

What roles can colleges and universities play in serving the many young adults whom our public school systems fail? This article sheds light on how one university was able to make a literacy connection with students attending an Alternative High School (AHS). This connection enabled AHS students and teacher candidates to effectively carry out a…

Notes that all teachers must be prepared to meet the varying educational, social, and emotional needs of all children. Concludes that to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students, the educational system must be transformed so that all students have an equal chance to succeed. (SC)

Offers reflections of three professors of literacy education regarding their varied field experiences with preservice teachers enrolled in their reading/language arts methods courses. Describes each field experience and discusses its impact on classroom teachers, elementary students, college students, and college professors. Offers some general…

Describes an instance of literacy learning involving the author and his two daughters at a local bookstore. Discusses how this literacy event challenged the author to consider alternative assumptions about reading, learning to read, and the relationship between reading and literacy. Offers lingering questions about what theoretical assumptions…

Provides a theoretical framework for designing a children's literature course that requires preservice teachers to critically analyze literature in ways that are personally meaningful. Suggests how preservice teachers can read children's literature intensively rather than extensively. (PA)

Addresses legislation that led to the present focus on classroom inclusion for students with special needs and accommodation of such students in the classroom reading program. Focuses on children who are diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder and children identified as intellectually gifted. Gives recommendations to help these children…

Examines the influence of first-language reading-models on second-language reading-theory and research. Recommends a sharing and transfer of knowledge between related disciplines, such as first- and second-language reading, to increase understanding of the reading process, regardless of the target language. (PA)

Describes an incident involving the author, his daughter, and sample items from a Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment. Elaborates on the author's increasing confusion with SOL assessments, especially in reading. Proposes that educators spend less time testing kids and more time "testing their theories" so that assessments better reflect recent…

Presents an approach to integrating bibliotherapy into teacher education courses at both the preservice and inservice levels. Includes theory relevant to bibliotherapy and emphasizes practical applications for engaging teachers in self actualization through bibliotherapy. Recommends readings for teacher education bibliotherapeutic experiences. (PA)

Discusses several books, such as "Feast for 10" and "One Smiling Grandma," which are effective in reinforcing basic mathematical skills. States that counting books ("Feast for 10," for example) are useful for elementary curriculum enhancement as well as fun to read. (PA)

Presents and discusses seven questions (generated by students in a graduate reading assessment and evaluation course) that form the "nitty-gritty" of what is really important when doing a case study on a child in reading/language arts. (RS)

Delineates the main functions of illustrations in relation to text in picture books. Examines the significance of illustrations to readers. Focuses on picture storybooks because they are most common among young children. Notes that illustrations in picture books are meant to delight, capture attention, amplify or tell a story, teach a concept, and…

Discusses designing, initiating, and collecting observational data from a program designed for a multicultural inner-city kindergarten classroom to teach emergent literacy, to use picture books representing children's cultures, and to share responsibility for children's own learning by freely initiating interactions with print materials. Notes…

Alerts educators to the problem of censorship. Gives specific examples of works that have been challenged. Suggests means for being prepared to meet the censor. Appends a list of the most protested, attacked, or censored books. (RS)