Readers will come away from this book with an understanding of what SSR is, why it's important, and how to implement it in their own schools and classrooms.

Representing current thinking about a wide range of issues related to reading motivation, this book offers a look at how to create classroom cultures that foster in students the love of reading. The book is about teachers and the critical role they play in helping children develop into motivated, active, engaged readers who read both for pleasure and information because they find it to be personally satisfying and rewarding. After an introduction ("Developing Lifelong Readers" by Eugene H. Cramer and Marrietta Castle), chapters in the book are: (1) "Reading and Society: Lessons from the World Out There" (Lloyd W. Kline); (2) "Toward a Model of Reading Attitude Acquisition" (Michael C. McKenna); (3) "The Insatiable Appetite" (Victor Nell); (4) "Who Reads What and When?" (Peter J. L. Fisher); (5) "How Teacher Attitudes Influence Reading Achievement" (Edward J. Dwyer and Evelyn E. Dwyer); (6) "A Portrait of Parents of Successful Readers" (Dixie Lee Spiegel); (7) "Promoting the Reading Habit: Considerations and Strategies" (Jerry L. Johns and Peggy VanLeirsburg); (8) "Literature and the Visual Arts: Natural Motivations for Literacy" (Richard Sinatra); (9) "Instilling a Love of Words in Children" (Nancy Lee Cecil); (10) "Connecting in the Classroom: Ideas from Teachers" (Eugene H. Cramer); (11) "Helping Children Choose Books" (Marietta Castle); (12) "Values, Agendas, and Preferences in Children's and Young Adult Literature" (June D. Knafle); (13) "Response to Literature: Models for New Teachers" (Camille L. Z. Blachowicz and Cathryn A. Wimett); (14) "Affect Versus Skills; Choices for Teachers" (Betty S. Heathington); (15) "Coordinating Teacher Read-Alouds with Content Instruction in Secondary Classrooms" (Judy S. Richardson); (16) "Writing Novels for Discouraged Readers...and Why We Must" (Irene Schultz); and (17) "Educating Teachers Affectively: Client-Centered Staff Development" (Cara L. Garcia). An epilogue ("The Need for Affective Literates" by Larry Mikulecky), concludes the book. Contains 93 references. (RS)

"This book documents the latest research findings about the success of free voluntary reading in developing high levels of literacy"--Provided by publisher.

Steve Gardiner, a high school English teacher, describes how sustained silent reading can help students of all abilities and backgrounds improve their reading skills.

Beginning to Read reconciles the debate that has divided theorists for decades over what is the "right" way to help children learn to read. Beginning to Read reconciles the debate that has divided theorists for decades over the "right" way to help children learn to read. Drawing on a rich array of research on the nature and development of reading proficiency, Adams shows educators that they need not remain trapped in the phonics versus teaching-for-meaning dilemma. She proposes that phonics can work together with the whole language approach to teaching reading and provides an integrated treatment of the knowledge and process involved in skillful reading, the issues surrounding their acquisition, and the implications for reading instruction. A Bradford Book

In fall 1999, the Department of Education's Office of Educational Researchand Improvement (OERI) asked RAND to examine how OERI might improve thequality and relevance of the education research it funds. The RAND ReadingStudy Group (RRSG) was charged with developing a research framework toaddress the most pressing issues in literacy. RRSG focused on readingcomprehension wherein the highest priorities for research are: (1)Instruction

Drawing on the professional literature of many fields, this book provides an interpretation of the available research on motivation and describes instructional approaches in classroom contexts. The book aims to help teacher educators, researchers, and graduate students understand the research literature in motivation and use in their efforts to enhance children's literacy development. After an introduction, "Reading Engagement: A Rationale for Theory and Teaching" (John T. Guthrie and Allan Wigfield), chapters in the book are: (1) "Children's Motivations for Reading and Reading Engagement" (Allan Wigfield); (2) Developing Self-Efficacious Readers and Writers: The Role of Social and Self-Regulatory Processes" (Dale H. Schunk and Barry J. Zimmerman); (3) "Motivation, Volition, and Collaborative Innovation in Classroom Literacy" (Lyn Corno and Judi Randi); (4) "The Pull of the Text and the Process of Involvement in Reading" (Diane Lemonnier Schallert and JoyLynn Hailey Reed); (5) "Teacher Perceptions of Student Motivation and Their Relation to Literacy Learning" (Anne P. Sweet); (6) "The Role of Responsive Teaching in Focusing Reader Intention and Developing Reader Motivation" (Robert B. Ruddell and Norman J. Unrau); (7) "Characteristics of Classrooms That Promote Motivations and Strategies for Learning" (John T. Guthrie and Ann Dacey McCann); (8) "Integrating Science and Literacy Experiences to Motivate Student Learning" (Roger Bruning and Barbara M. Schweiger); (9) "Ownership, Literacy Achievement, and Students of Diverse Cultural Backgrounds" (Kathryn H. Au); (10) "Starting Right: Strategies for Engaging Young Literacy Learners" (Julianne C. Turner); (11) "Incentives and Intrinsic Motivation to Read" (Linda B. Gambrell and Barbara Ann Marinak); and (12) "School Change and Literacy Engagement: Preparing Teaching and Learning Environments" (Carol Minnick Santa). (RS)