Education Commons^™

Untapped Cultural Support: The Influence Of Culturally Bound Prior Knowledge On Comprehension Performance, Ruanda Garth-Mccullough

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

By analyzing the prior knowledge of African American students, this study explored the relationship between cultural orientation of literature and reading comprehension to determine its’ effect on low, mid, and high level readers. Over one hundred 8th grade students from four different public schools read short stories from three different cultural orientations. Their reading comprehension performance was analyzed to determine the role that culturally bound prior knowledge plays in the comprehension process for low, medium, and high performing students. To measure the effects of cultural orientation of texts, prior achievement, and prior knowledge on the students’ reading comprehension performance, the …

Going Green: Books That Invite Wonder And Action About Earth’S Endangered Environment, Terrell A. Young, Barbara A. Ward

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Global warming is a complicated, hot button topic that needs to be explored in today’s classrooms. The following books are reviewed.

Grades K-3:
Alarcón, Francisco X. (2008). Animal poems of the Iguazu/Animalaria del Iguazu
Guiberson, Brenda. Z. (2008). Ice bears
Winter, Jeannette. (2008). Wangari’s trees of peace: A true story from Africa
Walsh, Melanie. (2008). 10 things I can do to help my world

Grades 4-6:
Burns, Loree Griffin. (2007). Tracking trash: Flotsam, jetsam, and the science of ocean motion
Cherry, Lynne and Braasch, Gary. (2008). How we know what we know about our changing climate: Scientists and kids explore …

Reading Horizons Vol. 49 No. 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 49, issue 1.

From The Editor, Allison Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Introduction to issue by editor Allison Baer.

Reading The Past: Historical Antecedents To Contemporary Reading Methods And Materials, Arlene Barry

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article addresses the International Reading Association’s foundational knowledge requirement that educators recognize historical antecedents to contemporary reading methods and materials. The historical overview presented here highlights the ineffective methods and restrictive materials that have been discarded and the progress that has been made in the development of more effective and inclusive reading materials. In addition, tributes are paid to seldom-recognized innovators whose early efforts to improve reading instruction for their own students resulted in important change still evident in materials used today.

An Exploration Of University Students’ Spelling Abilities, Mary Jo Fresch

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study includes a spelling inventory and attitude survey that were administered to pre-service education undergraduates. Analyzed using traditional performance levels as guidelines, no students scored at an independent level, 71% scored within an instructional level, and 29% scored at a frustration level. Inventory results and survey comments demonstrated the students’ heavy reliance on letter/ sound correspondences to guide their attempts at spelling. The majority commented that, as a teacher, they would help struggling spellers by telling them to “sound out the word.” Results suggest that, as future teachers, pre-service students must be instructed beyond the alphabetic stage and shown …

Students’ Perceptions Of “Fun” Suggest Possibilities For Literacy Learning: “You Can Be Entertained And Informed", Brandi Gribble Mathers

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Perhaps educators shy away from serious consideration of “fun” because the term is typically associated with the kinds of activities found on the playground rather than in the classroom. According to the first, third, and fifth-graders involved in this study however, different definitions of fun can be applied in different contexts and these definitions can be broad enough to include conditions specifically related to literacy activities. When these conditions are met, students do not regard reading and writing as work to be avoided, but rather, work to be embraced. Students revealed that fun motivates them to more willingly expend the …

Reading Comprehension, Figurative Language Instruction, And The Turkish English Language Learner, Barbara C. Palmer, Ebru M. Bilgili, Arzu Gungor, Susan H. Taylor, Judith T. Leclere

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the Turkish-speaking population in the United States increased significantly in the 1990s and has risen steadily over time. Today, the highest concentration is located in the states of New York, California, New Jersey, and Florida. Kaya (2003) reported a geographical dispersion across the U.S., from New York to Alaska, with the wealthiest living in Florida. Turkish students make up the ninth largest student population in the U.S. and the largest percentage of students compared to their homeland population. This article identifies and explores many of these challenges by observing the transition of Hakan, a …

It’S Time To Foreground The Relational Aspects Of Literacy Learning, Mona W. Matthews, John E. Kesner

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article describes how young children’s early relationships with caregivers and other significant adults, such as teachers, do far more than introduce and mediate their literacy experiences. These relationships are the experience, and only with time and development do young children differentiate from these experiences the signs and symbols as objects for exploration in their own right. To understand the literacy development of children, birth to five, one must understand the role children’s relationships play in this development. To support this argument, the authors cross disciplines and include theories within literacy and developmental psychology. First, they describe theories related to …

Biography For Children Has Never Been Better, Barbara A. Ward, Terrell A. Young

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

In the past few years, many literacy experts and readers have noted the improved quality of children’s literature, notably in nonfiction in general, and biography in particular. There are many reasons for the improvement in biographies for children and teens. Authors of biographies in earlier periods were part of a trend that glorified their subjects to present individuals worthy of emulation without sharing their foibles and shortcomings. Such writing is a form of stereotyping that alienates young readers from the subjects of biographies rather than helping them to know those subjects as real people (Tunnell & Jacobs, 2008). In addition, …

Reading Horizons Vol.48 No. 4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 48, issue 4.

Parents And Preschool Children Interacting With Storybooks: Children’S Early Literacy Achievement, Jacqueline Lynch, Jim Anderson, Ann Anderson, Jon Shapiro

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This research reports on one area of a larger study in Western Canada examining the literacy activities of families from culturally diverse backgrounds. The research focused on parents’ interactions with preschool children in storybook sharing and children’s emergent reading development as measured by the Test of Early Reading Ability-2 (TERA-2). The sample consisted of 35 parents and children. Parents’ and children’s interactions in storybook sharing were videotaped and coded using a modified scale by Shapiro, Anderson, and Anderson (1997). Relationships were found between parents’ and children’s interactions in storybook reading and children’s early literacy achievement.

[Editor's Note], Allison L. Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Reading Horizons Vol.48 No. 3

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 48, issue 3.

Supporting Teachers In Their Integration Of Technology With Literacy, Margaret A. Moore-Hart

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study investigates how two elementary teachers begin to use technology in a private school that had access to technology at many levels. Using a collaborative teacher-research model, the researcher specifically examined how to support teachers’ practice as they integrated technology tools within their literacy curriculum. Due to a supportive context, the teachers refined their writing instruction to include technology tools, and students improved their literacy through challenging learning experiences.

[Editor's Note], Allison L. Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Poetry Proves To Be Positive In The Primary Grades, Terrence V. Stange, Susan L. Wyant

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Learning to read and write and achieve good conduct are crucial in the primary grades. One teacher from a state in the Midwest implemented poetry with her second grade students to guide classroom conduct and improve literacy. This article discusses poetry as a literature genre, the benefits of poetry, and poetry curriculum where children read and write poems, enhancing critical thinking skills. In addition, student feedback, classroom orientation, classroom management, poetry as bibliotherapy, and the teacher’s evaluation of poetry and student progress are discussed.

From Skeptic To Believer: One Teacher’S Journey Implementing Literature Circles, Deanna Day, Glenna Ainley

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This is the story of one middle school teacher’s journey of implementing literature circles with English language learners. Theory and research suggest that literature circles are valuable and important for young adolescents yet many teachers are still skeptical about implementing them. During this three-month study 22 sixth graders, 12 of them English learners, were involved in reading and discussing books. Areas that helped this teacher become a believer in literature circles included: students were able to talk about books in the literature circles, students naturally discussed the major themes and literary elements, students made sense of the texts, and students …

Text Sets: Making Connections Between And Across Books, Barbara A. Ward, Terrell A. Young

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Linking books together has become a popular trend in many classrooms. More and more teachers are creating text sets—collections of books grouped around a similar topic, theme, genre, or author. Text sets allow readers to organize responses in a way that helps them notice patterns, make literary connections, and develop insights across books (Lehman, 2007).

Literacy And Science Connections In The Classroom, Donna M. Plummer, Wilma Kuhlman

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Educators in many disciplines recognize interdisciplinary teaching as effective for student learning. This article provides a model for developing an interdisciplinary literacy and science study with states of water as the core scientific study with corresponding literacy strategies. Authors have included suggestions for children’s literature as well as science experiences to use with this study. This water model provides teachers a base for developing studies that integrate their literacy and science curricula.

Guided Writing Lessons: Second-Grade Students’ Development Of Strategic Behavior, Sharon A. Gibson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study describes intra-individual change in strategic behavior of five second-grade students during three months of guided writing instruction for informational text. Data sources included sequential coding of writing behavior from videotaped writing events and analytic assessment of writing products. Students’ development of self-scaffolding supported orchestration of attention across word, sentence, and text levels while writing was studied. Participants encountered challenges in the following linguistic resources: textual organization, degree of explicitness, and presentation of details through appropriate sentence structures.

Reading Horizons Vol.48 No. 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 48, issue 2.

Behavioral Issues, Self-Esteem Struggles, Retention, And More: The Portrayal Of Book Characters With Dyslexia, Jennifer L. Altieri

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined children’s and adolescent trade books portraying school-age characters with dyslexia. All of the books are contemporary realistic fiction, geared to elementary and adolescent readers, and published in the United States between 1993 and 2003. After an extensive search, seventy-two books were located. An analysis of the characters’ strengths and difficulties is discussed. Also behavioral characteristics and self-esteem struggles are noted. Furthermore, the article addresses the issue of grade retention and the history of characters’ family members with dyslexia.

Differentiated Reading Instruction: What And How, Julie W. Ankrum, Rita M. Bean

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Ms. Martin (a pseudonym) is preparing to teach her new group of students this fall. This is her ninth year teaching second grade, so she knows much about the complexities she faces. The professional development focus in her district this year is differentiated reading instruction and she knows from experience that the twenty-two children who will enter her classroom have differing levels of abilities in reading.

Looking Twice At Illustrated Books, Barbara A. Ward, Terrell A. Young

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Illustrations often lure would-be readers into books. Illustrations in today’s books do more than just provide a visual accompaniment to text. They can also establish setting, define and develop characters, provide differing viewpoints, extend or develop the plot, establish mood, and provide interesting asides (Tunnell & Jacobs, 2008). While it has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, illustrations have the power to engage the reader and support the text. Today’s books offer a wide range of illustrated formats guaranteed to attract readers with their sumptuous colors and painstaking details.

Books reviewed for Grades PK-2:
Ahlberg, Allan. …

[Editor's Note], Karen F. Thomas, Allison L. Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.