Shows that middle-school students with autism were able to recall parts of a series of stories that were read to them. Finds that recall improved when stories around a theme were presented in a series, and was further enhanced when students drew and wrote about the stories and referred to their work when answering questions. (SR)

Presents brief annotations of 40 children's books originating or published in countries around the world, some of them traditional tales, and all of them dealing with universals of childhood, such as delights, friendship, fantasy, individual identity, and contemporary living. (SR)

Illustrates how poetry, content material, and literacy skills can come together with examples from health class, social studies, math, lunch, English, home and careers class, physical education, science, and homeroom. Notes also poems that can be used in American history class. (SR)

Presents and discusses a list of World Wide Web sites, and suggests possibilities for their use in creating writing-centered literacy experiences for students that promote both traditional and electronic literacy skills. Lists them in four major categories: teacher resources, student writing resources, interactive writing, and student publishing.…

Describes how the author devised a simple table that allows him not only to monitor his first-grade class's spelling development but also to use the information from the table to plan spelling instruction. (SR)

Describes a project in which a school and a public library cooperated to display students' writing throughout the library's children's room. Notes that the fourth- through ninth-grade students ran three of the weekly regular after-school story hours for 5- to 10-year olds. Describes getting ready, parent participation, and the three library…

Presents an interview with author and illustrator David Wisniewski, winner of the 1997 Caldecott Award. Discusses his illustration technique, how and why he chooses stories with a moral center, and his thoughts about winning this prestigious award. (SR)

Shares South African educators' perspectives on 17 selected picture books about South Africa. Finds that they highly recommend these books. Offers their comments and cautions about the extent to which these books accurately portray life in South Africa. Offers suggestions for teachers who want to use such books to promote awareness and…

Provides a rationale for learning-with-text experiences for primary-grade children; lists 10 general approaches to foster primary-grade content area reading; and offers a sample lesson incorporating these approaches that promotes comprehension of text and content matter. Suggests that trade books, textbooks, realistic fiction, and other print…

Studies one struggling reader and her self-directed pathways to progress as she consistently chose old basal-sounding, beginner-oriented materials over newer, aesthetically constructed literature. Investigates differences between beginner-oriented texts and aesthetically constructed literature. Concludes some struggling readers need repetitious…

Offers brief descriptions of 47 recently published children's books that break different kinds of barriers and boundaries: geographic, cultural, familial, generational, historical, and literary. (SR)

Describes a teachers' focus group devoted to informing parents about their reading programs and emergent literacy practices. Describes development and use of a home-based literacy inventory to raise awareness of emerging literacy in routine activities. Discusses demonstration of the educational philosophy and instructional practice of emergent…

Discusses what a sign system is, using the examples of art, music, drama, mathematics, and language. Explores how people use signs, and research on sign systems. Investigates how multiple sign systems can be incorporated into the classroom. Notes that supporting learners' flexible use of multiple sign systems may offer a better way to teach…

Offers a 69-item list of children's books published in 1996 or 1997 that are suitable for kindergarten and first-grade children in helping them develop phonemic awareness. Offers a letter to parents that describes some specific activities they can do at home that highlight phonemic awareness. Offers a parents' phonemic awareness observation…

Discusses the evolution of programs at the Benchmark School (where, for almost 30 years, children with severe reading difficulties have learned to read). Addresses students' difficulties reading narrative text, expressing ideas in writing, content area reading, learning sight words and decoding, understanding how to learn, applying strategies…