Provides information and discussion of the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. Explains what makes a good nonfiction book for children and discusses several books that have been honored in the first two years of the award. (MG)

As a powerful tool for education, language informs, influences, discloses, and communicates. Research on the use of language has found that it also discriminates. Among the different manifestations of sexism in language are (1) the use of "he" as a generic pronoun; (2) the "generic" use of "man" as an exclusively male referent; (3) the use of "you…

This paper describes an in-service workshop on writing, which begins by having teachers air negative feelings and false conceptions about the writing process, involves the teachers in writing and introduces the writing process concept. A sentence completion activity, integrated with the viewing of a videotape, helps teachers examine their…

Tips are presented for teachers to write letters to parents to encourage their participation in their child's writing program, and suggestions are also listed for parents to help improve their child's writing skills. (CB)

Assesses students' responses to and production of story conventions in detective or mystery stories and explores students' responses to literature as potential connections between comprehending and composing text. (MM)

Relates the author's experiences and thoughts on books and literacy after six months of living and teaching in Zimbabwe. (SR)

Recounts the author's experiences in Zimbabwe working with Zimbabwean educators regarding the role of children's literature and writing in the classroom. Discusses Zimbabwean children's literature, publishing difficulties, and Zimbabwean children's writing. (SR)

The purpose of the project was to allow participants to document, critique, and change their family and community conditions through photographs and stories of their everyday lives. This study used photovoice, a participatory action research methodology, with 7 women from La Carpio, Costa Rica. The women were given cameras and asked to photograph…

Designed to assist those teachers without a technical background, CAI TOOLKIT was developed to help with computer-assisted language instruction programs. By giving commands in English, the system, consisting of six tools, has been greatly simplified for learning. In addition, the graphic capabilities of the system have been found to work well with…

Four articles suggest ways to create good child care environments: (1) "What Kind of Place for Child Care in the 21st Century?" (Greenman); (2) "Strategies for Enhancing Children's Use of the Environment" (Curtis); (3) "Designing the Family Child Care Environment" (Osborn); (4) "Imagine! Child Care--A Great Place for Teachers, Too" (Haack,…

Writer of children's books, Janet Wong is concerned about the number of children being unable to get the education and being left behind. Her books, which reflect her Asian heritage, have appeared on notables list and she was also honored with the IRA Celebrate Literacy Award, the Claremont Stone Center Recognition of Merit, the Penn State/Lee…

Students learning English as a new language are the fastest-growing group in U.S. schools today. These students speak many languages, their reading levels cover a wide range, and they experience great cognitive demands as they learn both language and content in order to participate fully in class. Literature can play a critical role in immersing…

Offers an adaptation of Readers Theatre based on nonfiction trade books as an alternative to content area textbooks. Discusses the benefits of nonfiction trade books and of Readers Theatre. Offers guidelines for adapting materials to Readers Theatre scripts. Discusses suggested titles and sample script excerpts for health, math, science, and…

A study examined the use and understanding of literary elements by students in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12. Students read L. Peck's folktale, "Coyote's Gift to Turkey Girl," and wrote a story of their own. The stories were then analyzed for their objective content (genre conventions, characterization, plot, and setting) and subjective content (kind and…

Discusses the "Teachers as Readers" movement, which focuses on teachers reading children's literature and responding personally to the literature as readers. Concludes that the Teachers as Readers movement is an effective tool for teacher renewal and for professional development. Suggests that participation in Teachers as Readers groups…