Background: Integrating reading in foreign language (FL) classes is sometimes a difficult task because of lack of appropriate methodology and poor textbook support. In addition, college students find many readings too difficult to understand or not interesting. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how a teacher-researcher implements children's literature in a FL college class using innovative methods and how students respond to these texts. Setting: Two Spanish classes in an intensive, immersion program in a western U.S. university during the summer of 2004. Study Sample: Six students in the beginners' class (first and second semester Spanish) and three students in the intermediate class (third and fourth semester Spanish), plus the teacher-research and the teacher of the beginners' class. In the beginners' class there were 3 males and 3 females (ages 44, 17, 20, 20, 20 and 20); one of the male students was not from the United States. In the intermediate class there were two females and one male (ages mid-40s, mid-20s and mid-20s). The teacher-researcher was a Spanish female in her 30s with moderate teaching experience and the beginners' class teacher was a Mexican American female in her late 20s with moderate teaching experience. Intervention: The curriculum was created purposefully based on the readings from children's books, integrating grammar and vocabulary into the context of the stories and emphasizing pre-reading, reading and post-reading activities. The books and magazines were purchased in advanced and left around for students to have free access at all times. Children's books were selected because they were simple for these low proficiency levels yet interesting and challenging. The approach included top-down and bottom-up processing modes, activations of background knowledge, teaching of reading strategies, student-centered curriculum and other aspects of different methodologies and teaching philosophies. The beginners' class teacher taught most of the beginner class and the teacher-researcher helped her for a couple of hours a week (classes were held M-F, 8:30 am-12 pm, plus lunch, plus extra-curricular activities). Since the intermediate class teacher did not want to participate, intermediate students only read children's books outside of class, for pleasure. Data Collection and Analysis: Daily observations by the teacher and by the teacher-researcher were carried out. Eight of these one-hour sessions were video recorded. Informal out-of-class observations were also performed during lunch, cultural activities and visits to the community. Documents were also collected, including students' journals, evaluations, self-assessments, class exercises, exams and pictures. The teacher-researcher's journal was also collected. The data was coded letting for categories to bring up patterns that addressed research questions. Findings: Many aspects of the approach were difficult to implement because of teachers' lack of experience, such as using top-down processing, thoroughly checking students' background knowledge, using adequate assessment methods, or explicitly teaching reading strategies. Others were easier to implement, such as integrating children's literature with course goals and other curriculum components, finding the time to work on reading activities, letting students choose their own books or doing free voluntary reading. Students were found to love children's literature and believed they were beneficial for Spanish learning. The only students who had slight difficulties with children's books were the high school student and the international student, yet they appreciated the books and saw the benefits. Conclusion: Children's literature was found to be an appropriate and beneficial tool in the college Spanish class. Students found the books challenging yet comprehensible and also very interesting. Some characteristics of the teaching approach adopted were difficult to implement because of the teachers' lack of experience with those practices, but some others were easier and successfully achieved. It is suggested that further studies are carried out with a larger population and more varied books in terms of genres and formats. Citation: Garcia, M.P. (2004). Using Children's Books in the Spanish College Class. Texas Papers in Foreign Language Education, 8(1), 43-66.

Using children's and young adult literature is a great way to enhance a variety of college classes in fields as varied as biology, computer game development, political science and history. This collection of new essays by educators from a number of disciplines describes how to use such works as Where the Wild Things Are, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Swamp Thing, Percy Jackson, and Harry Potter to introduce complex concepts and spark interest in difficult subjects. The contributors describe innovative teaching strategies using dystopian fiction, graphic narratives, fairy tales and mythology. Often overlooked or dismissed by teachers, children's literature can support student learning by raising levels of academic rigor, creativity and critical thinking.

This volume of critical essays explores global children's literary traditions and not just how non-US-centered children's literature is taught within college courses, but how it can be used to frame undergraduate pedagogy outside of the classroom.

La comprensión lectora en la enseñanza del español LE/L2: de la teoría a la práctica presents state-of-the-art theory and teaching practices for integrating reading skills into the teaching of Spanish. The book bridges a conspicuous gap between research supporting reading as a key component of language acquisition and actual practice by discussing how to implement reading successfully in and out of the classroom. Written entirely in Spanish, the book focuses on the needs of Spanish language learners with the goal of motivating students to read in the target language and work with diverse types of texts and genres. Written in a clear and accessible manner, La comprensión lectora en la enseñanza del español LE/L2: de la teoría a la práctica is an essential resource for teachers of Spanish at all levels. It is an excellent reference book for language teachers who wish to integrate reading into the teaching of the Spanish language.

“Research Informing Practice—Practice Informing Research: Innovative Teaching Methodologies for World Language Educators” is an edited volume that focuses on innovative, nontraditional methods of teaching and learning world languages. Using teacher-research projects, each author in the volume guides readers through their own personal journey and exploration of teaching methods, novelty, risk-taking, and reflection. Chapters include guiding questions, vignettes, and thick descriptions of classroom-based research in an assortment of instructional settings. Theoretical issues and an array of practical applications are presented, as well as additional research opportunities and guidelines for implementation in a variety of teaching and learning venues. While not professing to be a panacea for world language learning, this book provides various lines of theory, research, and practice as they interact with each other through teacher-research narratives. As a well-known African proverb asserts, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Similarly, it takes a village to develop a master teacher, and it takes a community to create an exceptional classroom. Throughout this volume, authors share their voices, experiences, and expertise as a means of strengthening the village. They then invite readers to embark on their own methodological journeys. The text thus serves as a stimulus for further discussion and pedagogical development in world language settings. Teachers and researchers are challenged to think critically and reflectively about world language education, encouraged to design innovative methods, approaches, and techniques for their world language classes, and ultimately asked to share their findings with students, parents, peers, communities, and the village.

If you're a librarian charged with collecting curriculum materials and children's literature to support the Common Core State Standards, then this book—the only one that offers explicit advice on collection development in curriculum collections—is for you. While there are many publications on the Common Core for school librarians and K–12 educators, no such literature exists for curriculum librarians at the post-secondary level. This book fills that gap, standing alone as a guide to collection development for curriculum librarians independent of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The book provides instruction and guidance to curriculum librarians who acquire and manage collections so you can develop a collection based on best practices. The book begins with a primer on the CCSS and how curriculum librarians can support them. Discussion of the Standards is then woven through chapters, arranged by content area, that share research-based practices in curriculum development and instruction to guide you in curriculum selection. Material types covered include games, textbooks, children's literature, primary sources, counseling, and nonfiction. Additional chapters cover the management of curriculum collections, testing collections, and instruction and reference, as well as how to support and collect for special needs learners. Current practices in collection development for curriculum materials librarians are also reviewed. The book closes with a discussion of the future of curriculum materials.