Describes a year-long teacher action-research study involving fifth graders that used trade books to teach students various reading-comprehension strategies. Finds that students retained and transferred strategy learning to other texts and contexts; valued reading more and reported reading more; and demonstrated enhanced appreciation for books and…

Describes a project that linked two graduate-level teacher-education classes on children's literature with electronic discussion to extend teachers' breadth and depth of thinking about issues in complex children's literature. Shares teachers' comments about two books, discusses a follow-up questionnaire, and offers a list of…

Discusses why word families should be taught. Argues that the timing of such instruction is critical and that teachers can use children's invented spelling to determine what they already know and what they are ready to learn. Offers a developmental perspective to guide teachers in the planning and pacing of word-family instruction. (SR)

Offers brief descriptions of 34 children's books that are excellent for reading aloud: some of them for inviting interaction, for laughing out loud, for prompting discussion, for living vicariously, for lingering over language, and for making curricular connections. (SR)

Responds to an article ("On Balanced Reading") in the December 1998/January 1999 issue of this journal. Argues for a closer look and more evidence before committing to "balanced" models of literacy education. Discusses criticisms of Reading Recovery programs. (SR)

Replies to an article in this issue that responded to an earlier article ("On Balanced Reading") by this author. Argues that Welna's unbalanced coverage of research and critique is the very fuel that continues the Reading Wars. Argues that a study of past and present research can lead the profession to common ground. (SR)

Defines "balance" as a philosophical perspective about what kinds of reading knowledge children should develop and how those kinds of knowledge can be attained--rather than as one right approach to teaching. Outlines a set of philosophical beliefs and guiding principles for organizing a classroom reading program. Discusses benefits of thinking…

Describes Spelling Cheerleading, a whole-group activity for spelling practice connecting the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic that students enjoy. (SR)

Describes a novel type of interactive writing called "interest journals" that motivates students and promotes persuasive writing. Discusses getting started, and the benefits of interest journals. (SR)

Describes a collaborative compensatory program for at-risk kindergarten, first-, and second-grade students, in which literature, drama, music, and movement are woven together into miniperformances that develop and support literacy learning. Discusses the process of developing a miniperformance, and lists suggested books with stories for…

Examines the slogan "explicit and systematic teaching of reading" by discussing a framework of four dimensions of learning and teaching: (1) explicit-implicit; (2) systematic-unsystematic; (3) mindful-mindless; and (4) contextualized-decontextualized. Concludes that an optimum mix of all four dimensions is needed. (SR)

Outlines one struggling second-grade reader's abilities and reading strategies, and initial instructional efforts with her. Discusses how the author determined a mismatch existed between her teaching, the teaching materials, and the child. Shows how a change of materials--to the use of decodable text accompanied by reflective, systematic,…

Offers brief descriptions of 36 illustrated children's books that provide excellent examples of illustration and design. Groups them according to use of line, color, perspective, technique, texture, and composition and design. (SR)

Finds the most effective schools and teachers to be distinguished from moderately and less effective schools by the following: time spent in small-group reading instruction, with much teacher collaboration; coaching children in strategies to figure out unknown words as part of phonics instruction; higher-level comprehension questions; more…

Describes a reading program with a wide range of meaningful literacy activities designed with varying degrees of built-in scaffolding, according to each student's needs, such that all students learn and feel competent. Notes that the teacher knows when to invoke explicit, direct, discovery, synthetic, analytic, whole-to-part, part-to-whole,…