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The Word Writing CAFE is a new assessment tool designed for teachers to evaluate objectively students' word-writing ability for fluency, accuracy, and complexity. It is designed to be given to the whole class at one time. This article describes the development of the CAFE and provides directions for administering and scoring it. The author also describes typical scores by grade level and sex for one study of first- through sixth-grade students in three schools. Scores increased by grade level, and increasing gains were noted over grade levels for girls. The article also reports the 20 most commonly written words for each grade level. Teachers using the CAFE report that it is a quick and useful way to document student progress in word writing and to gain insight into individual student's strengths and weaknesses. The author includes an invitation for teachers to participate in a national study of the CAFE with 1st- through 12th-grade students. (Contains 2 figures and 6 tables.)

Selects and evaluates a sampling of great children's literature to ascertain what values and character messages were being communicated to readers. Indicates that Newbery books are indeed "a compelling vision of the goodness of goodness itself." Notes that character trait analysis and discussion can be a fruitful forum for increased awareness of the actions and thoughts of literary character. (SG)

Describes a successful strategy that develops critical thinking in middle school classrooms via an intersection of character education, adolescent literature, and authentic assessment. Describes the procedure in which students explore the literature to determine how positive and negative character traits are demonstrated, with discussions on these traits both in the book and in their own lives. Notes cautions and variations. (SR)

Examines the nature of engagement with informational text by exploring four gifted students' responses to children's information books and informational storybooks. Indicates that these children expressed a variety of reasons for reading non-fiction and held interesting perceptions and strong opinions about informational content. Finds that children expressed preference for books with depth of coverage along with a creative format. (SC)

Determines readability levels for each of the Caldecott Medal books, and presents the full list. Finds that the overall grade-level readability average was 4.75. Offers some suggestions for using the books in elementary classrooms. (SR)

Examines each Newbery-award-winning book from 1922 to 1997, reporting readability grade level and readability grade range. Finds that the Newbery award books are for children ages 9 to 16, and recommends that a separate category be established to recognize books of quality for emergent readers. Suggests ways Newbery books can be read in elementary classrooms. (SR)

The case of Michael Kearney, who completed high school and college by age 10, is used to illustrate characteristics of profoundly gifted children, including expected and atypical characteristics of giftedness and the ability to intuit knowledge, learn from diverse sources, interact at multiple ability levels, and try out theories in unusual ways. (DB)

Describes informational storybooks, literature containing characteristics drawn from both storybooks and information books. Discusses the excellent possibilities for instruction offered because of the instructional storybook's dual nature. (SR)

Investigates children's peer group discussions of a storybook, an information book, and an informational storybook. Finds older students collaborating more, drawing more on peer information, participating in longer discussions, and making more confirming and challenging responses than younger children. Finds that children stayed on topic longer when discussing the informational storybook. (RS)

The purpose of this project was to provide a one-year opportunity for university students, school-based special educators and general educators to work together on behalf of 20 elementary education students [...]

This article describes a new teacher-friendly evaluation tool called the TOPIC: Tests of Phonics in Context. The TOPIC can drive instruction by helping teachers evaluate students' writing miscues and then match their identified needs to specific strategies. The TOPIC is a test that can be given to a whole class at one time. It evaluates knowledge of phonics patterns, sight words, punctuation, capitalization and paragraph structure. The TOPIC is also an excellent tool for evaluating letter-sound patterns that ELL students have not mastered. This article situates the TOPIC in light of relevant literacy assessments used today, examines different types of writing miscues, presents the TOPIC itself and then describes how writing miscue findings can be tied to instruction in order to promote students' reading and writing success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on tutoring and its effects on at-risk students and pre-service teachers. It reports that intensive tutoring benefits at-risk students as shown by the average of 1.1 grade level increase in the period of four months. The one-on-one setting between at-risk students and pre-service teachers also served as good training for preparing excellent future educators.

The article discusses ways on how to prepare quality teachers while helping at-risk students. The Literacy Partnership, is a program trying to find the best new teachers who could help meet the "No Child Left Behind" challenge and ensure that all students gain the reading skills needed for academic and lifelong success. The joint vision of the school and the literacy partnership was to increase literacy, enhance academic achievement, and nurture and support lifelong learning.

Effective tutoring is key to successful literacy learning for at-risk children. This report provides an overview of answers to the question: "What are the contexts for effective literacy tutoring?" The research shows that successful reading tutoring is commonly found in four contexts: home, school, professional/ community, and university settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on the readability levels for all Caldecott Medal books. How to provide a comfortable readability level for children; Advantages of beautifully illustrated books; Readability level of the book `Animals of the Bible, a Picture Book,' illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop.