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Many preservice and early career teachers in the United States are White, middle class, and female and as such have little firsthand experience working with or growing up in the increasingly diverse population of U.S. schools. As a part of a graduate course in children's literature, the objective of this study was to understand teacher candidates' perceptions of what elements of their personal narratives and background were under-represented in children's literature. Through course experiences and assignments, participants expanded their understanding of diversity, gained new resources for locating books, and developed empathy for their K-5 students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effects of reading mode (oral and silent) and text genre (narrative and expository) on fourth graders’ reading comprehension. While controlling for prior reading ability of 48 participants, we measured comprehension. Using a repeated measured design, data were analyzed using analysis of covariance, paired t-tests, and correlational statistics. Results revealed that silent reading was stronger for narrative passages in retell measures, but there was no difference for comprehension questions. The expository passages revealed no difference between the reading modes. Comprehension of narrative texts was consistently stronger than expository texts in both silent and oral reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential element in teaching children to effectively comprehend text is the use of teacher-led think-alouds. The overarching objective of this study was to explore how to better prepare early career teachers to conduct think-alouds in their classrooms. Data from 31 teachers consisted of (1) questionnaires, (2) lesson plans, (3) lesson transcripts, and (4) written reflections. Teachers made significant growth in the quantity and quality of reading comprehension strategies they incorporated. Discussion focuses on the challenges the participants encountered when thinking aloud. Finally, suggestions for supporting teachers in effectively thinking aloud are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An essential element in teaching children to effectively comprehend text is the use of teacher-led think alouds. The overarching objective of this study was to explore how to better prepare preservice teachers to conduct think alouds in their future classrooms. Data from 97 preservice teachers consisted of several sources: (a) questionnaires, (b) lesson plans, (c) lesson transcripts, and (d) written reflections. Preservice teachers made significant growth in the quantity and quality of reading comprehension strategies they incorporated. Discussion focuses on the challenges that participants encountered when thinking aloud. Finally, suggestions for supporting preservice teachers in effectively thinking aloud are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a case study design, our research explored question generation as a reading comprehension strategy, focusing on the types of questions 4th- and 5th-grade students posed before, during, and after reading narrative text. The authors aimed to determine whether their participants are ready to pose the higher-level questions expected of them by the U.S. Common Core State Standards (2010). The results indicated that students asked mainly memory-based and convergent thinking questions, with far fewer divergent thinking and evaluative thinking questions. Instructional implications for classroom teachers include teacher modeling and demonstration of how to ask divergent and evaluative thinking questions through explicit instruction, mentorship, and more teacher use of language related to deeper thinking comprehension questions. These findings are explained in connection to the Common Core State Standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of this research were (a) to understand the frequency with which K-5 teachers use informational text in their routine classroom instruction, (b) to understand the percentage of informational text in classroom libraries, and (c) to explore teachers' attitudes about informational text. Survey data of 318 participants indicated that K-5 teachers used an average of 31.55 minutes (SD = 22.24) of informational text per day and that classroom libraries consisted of an average of 32.77% (SD = 14.16) of informational text. Participants were overwhelmingly positive about the instructional value of informational text but also reported that a lack of time, a lack of resources, and curricular limitations restricted their use of informational text. Implications on how to increase the use of informational text in K-5 classrooms are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this observational study was to identify the frequency of reading comprehension instruction in elementary classrooms. Additional objectives were to determine which reading comprehension instructional strategies were most employed by teachers in elementary classrooms. In 3,000 minutes of direct classroom observation in 20 first- through fifth-grade classrooms, a total of 751 minutes (or 25% of instructional time) was allotted for reading comprehension instruction. The highest amount of reading comprehension instruction occurred in 4th-grade classrooms, with the least amount occurring in 3rd grade. Question answering, summarization, and predicting/prior knowledge were the most frequently occurring reading comprehension strategies. Finally, implications for teachers' professional development and training are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading teacher education, as is true with much of higher education, is plagued with pressures of providing 'here and now' answers to very complex, entangled issues. The reading methods course becomes the site of many of these pressures, despite considerable insights provided by scholars such as Kumaravadivelu (2001) that methods may be more of the problem than the solution. In this article, we explore an emergent conceptualization of the reading teacher educator as 'customer service provider' and discuss how this approach threatens reading teacher education. We voice our concerns that the pressure on reading teacher educators to deliver content in the 'customer service' model denies preservice teachers access to critical pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's commentary regarding the publicized decision of Jenna Bush, daughter of U.S. President George W. Bush, to become a school teacher at the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School of Washington D.C. Topics addressed include description of the difficult environment facing teachers in the U.S. education system, the divisive politics surrounding educational policy, and assertions that it will be very different from her life as the First Daughter.