Book Club: Studying the Written and Oral Texts of Elementary Children Participating in a Literature-Based Reading Program. Elementary Subjects Center Series No. 52

The study reported in this paper responds to the current movement toward literature-based reading instruction. Five fifth-graders attending a Midwest, urban school participated in the 10-week study in a classroom in which the teacher initiated a literature-based reading program. Data sets included o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author McMahon, Susan I
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published Center for the Learning and Teaching of Elementary Subjects, Institute for Research in Teaching 01.01.1992
Subjects
Classroom Research
Grade 5
Instructional Effectiveness
Instructional Innovation
Intermediate Grades
Reader Text Relationship
Reading Instruction
Reading Research
Teaching Methods
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Summary:The study reported in this paper responds to the current movement toward literature-based reading instruction. Five fifth-graders attending a Midwest, urban school participated in the 10-week study in a classroom in which the teacher initiated a literature-based reading program. Data sets included observational field notes, audiotaped lessons, interviews, and student-generated materials. Ongoing analysis revealed that when the teacher emphasized student pursuit of topics interesting to them, student written and oral texts explored varied and recurrent themes. In contrast, when the teacher emphasized reading skills and strategies, student responses remained text-based and remarkably similar. Findings imply that teachers balance their purposes and goals because of the effects on how children respond to texts. Focus on aesthetic responses may not promote necessary skills and strategies. At the same time, focus on efferent responses seems to stifle interaction and the development of ideas. (One hundred fourteen references and an appendix containing an explanation of transcript notations are attached.) (Author/SR)