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Good Books For Good Times, Terrell A. Young, Barbara A. Ward

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A quick trip to the local bookstore or library quickly dispels any notion that reading for pleasure is something of the past. ... Among the new offerings, we have no trouble finding several interesting titles with a wide range of themes, many helping us examine issues with different lenses so that we see the world anew. We hope you’ll find much food for thought and many pages to browse among these new books that caught our attention. Clearly, these are good books for good times.

Books reviewed for Grades K-2:
Auch, Mary Jane and Herm Auch. (2009). The plot chickens …

Reading Horizons Vol. 49 No. 4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 49, issue 4.

Recreational Reading: Useful Tips For Successful Implementation, Katherine Wiesendanger, Gretchen Braun, Jeannine Perry

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study analyzed characteristics of classrooms where recreational reading is being implemented. It scrutinized those classrooms that housed successful programs and looked for common elements among them. Specifically, we explored the physical, teacher, student, and program factors within these classrooms that contributed toward their success. Focusing on the responses from 33 participants, the article summarizes the elements most frequently mentioned under each of the four major components. Finally, we discuss how these factors contribute to the successful implementation of recreational reading.

Understanding The Cultural-Linguistic Divide In American Classrooms: Language Learning Strategies For A Diverse Student Population, Kerry P. Holmes, Susan Rutledge, Lane Roy Gauthier

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article addresses critical factors that impact learning for a growing population of students in American classrooms, the English Language Learner (ELL). Even in the smallest school districts, it is common for teachers to have one or more students with limited or no command of the English language in their classrooms. Many students in schools with specialized ELL programs spend the majority of their day in regular classrooms trying to fit in with their peers as they struggle to learn a new language. This article focuses on the five stages of language acquisition and proficiency along with corresponding research-based strategies …

Article Index

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Index to articles in volume 49.

Kindergarten Teachers Speak Out: “Too Much, Too Soon, Too Fast!”, Patricia A. Gallant

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article presents results of a study of 229 kindergarten teachers who completed a survey designed to gather information about the current state of Michigan kindergartens. In addition to detailed data that reveals teachers’ literacy instructional practices, teachers provided written responses to the following open-ended questions: What are the main issues facing kindergarten teachers? What, if anything, would make a difference in your ability to provide the type of program you would like to provide? What kind of professional development would be useful to kindergarten teachers? Teachers identified issues related to working conditions (time, class size, materials) and literacy instruction …

An Analysis Of Feedback Given To Strong And Weak Student Writers, Janet L.D. Dinnen, Rachel M.B. Collopy

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Improvement-oriented feedback has been shown to be more effective at raising writing achievement than simple evaluative feedback. This study investigates whether teachers differ in the feedback they give to weak and strong writers as well as how feedback differs across grades. Interviews were conducted with 15 teachers about the feedback they gave students on their writing. Contrary to expectations, analyses indicate that both weak and strong writers received minimal improvement-oriented feedback. However, strong writers received more positive evaluative feedback while weak writers received more negative evaluative feedback. This research has implications for both teacher education and the professional development of …

From The Editor, Allison Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Introduction to issue by editor Allison Baer.

Brave, Determined, And Strong: Books For Girls (And Sometimes Boys), Barbara A. Ward, Terrell A. Young

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Today’s teachers need to choose texts that provide strong role models for young readers, both male and female. When choosing a book for a girl, merely reaching for any old book with female characters isn’t enough. Care should be taken to find books that feature strong female literary role models, allowing girls to explore their own identities, claim their own voices, and gain confidence, particularly during the adolescent years. The expectations of society and peers often prompt girls to assume false identities. In addition, finding and becoming true to oneself is an arduous task that can be made easier through …

What Does Tv Viewing Have To Do With Internet Reading?: Readers, Television ‘Texts’, And Intertextual Links To Companion Websites, Rachel Brown

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A growing number of television programs direct their viewers to access an Internet website for further information on a presented topic. The explicit link between television programs and companion Internet websites, both of which communicate information through multiple modes, can be considered a form of intertextuality. Do college students actually avail themselves of TV-Internet connections? Do they believe that this type of intertextuality influences their reading practices? This article reports research on these questions and then explores the implications of TV-Internet intertextuality for literacy and pedagogy.

Reading Horizons Vol. 49 No. 3

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 49, issue 3.

Fluency, Text Structure, And Retelling: A Complex Relationship, Lynn Cohen, Rosanne L. Krustedt, Maria May

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined the relationship between fluency and comprehension, specifically related to the text structures of narration and dialogue. Using descriptive statistics, this investigation first examined fluency and comprehension of three teacher educators and then through action research examined fluency and comprehension of five third grade students. Our findings showed that, as measured by retelling, the text structures of narration and dialogue impacted both fluency rate and comprehension.

The Relationship Of Drawing, Writing, Literacy And Math In Kindergarten Children, Susan Steffani, Paula M. Selvester

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study supports and extends previous research that suggests there is a relationship between picture naming and a variety of other factors that impact early literacy. The study explores the picture naming/representing ability of kindergarteners (n = 20), their ability to name and draw pictures of objects they could and could not immediately identify, and their early literacy and math assessments. Significant results were found for 1) drawing ratings and alphabet writing, and 2) alphabet writing, geometric shape sorting, and rhyming. Relationships between kindergarteners’ picturing naming and drawing and their early literacy assessment performance are explored.

Books That Especially Appeal To Boy Readers, Terrell A. Young, Barbara A. Ward

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Many of today’s teachers want to create lifelong readers, and, in particular, they often worry about finding books that will engage their boy readers.

The following books were reviewed for Grades K-2:
Grimes, Nikki. (2008). Barack Obama: Son of promise, child of hope
Hector, Julian. (2008). The little matador
Kay, Julia. (2008). Gulliver Snip
Meserve, Jessica. (2008). Can anybody hear me?
Smith, J. D. (2008). The best mariachi in the world/El major Mariachi del Mundo

Grades 3-5:
Broach, Elise. (2008). Masterpiece
Henkes, Kevin. (2008). Bird Lake moon
Krull, Kathleen and Brewer, Paul. (2008). Fartiste: An explosively funny, mostly true story …

From The Editor, Allison Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Introduction to issue by editor Allison Baer.

Reading Horizons Vol. 49 No. 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons vol. 49 issue 2.

The Reading Experiences And Beliefs Of Secondary Pre-Service, Peggy Daisey

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this study was to describe secondary pre-service teachers’ past reading experiences, present attitudes and beliefs about reading, their attitudes and beliefs about a required content area literacy course, and their predicted use of reading in future instruction. Secondary pre-service teachers (N = 124) of diverse subject areas completed four surveys during the required course. Responses of those who enjoyed reading throughout their lives were compared to responses for those who did not enjoy reading. The results of the study suggest that secondary pre-service teachers might benefit from reflecting upon their past positive reading experiences and attempt to …

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.

Reading Horizons Vol. 49 No. 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 49, issue 1.

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 …

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 …

From The Editor, Allison Baer

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Introduction to issue by editor Allison Baer.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …