Over the past 3 years we have worked collaboratively with teachers in devel oping and implementing a kindergar ten emergent literacy program aimed at providing young children with ex tensive opportunities to participate in holistic,... more
Over the past 3 years we have worked collaboratively with teachers in devel oping and implementing a kindergar ten emergent literacy program aimed at providing young children with ex tensive opportunities to participate in holistic, meaningful, developmentally appropriate reading and writing expe riences (Martinez and Teale, 1987; Teale and Martinez, in press). A key goal is to foster voluntary reading among the children so that they will develop positive attitudes and the incli nation to engage in leisure reading. Recent empirical research has indi cated that the best predictor of and a causal factor in a child's growth in reading and vocabulary is the amount of leisure time spent reading (Fielding, Wilson, and Anderson, 1986). Al though kindergartners usually are not readers in the conventional sense, re cent research has made it clear that, for most children in literate societies, learning to read begins very early in life. Thus, establishing voluntary read ing habits among k...
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... The children's book buyer for an in-dependent bookstore in Austin, Texas, Meghan Goel, claims she rare-ly sees anyone over 7 years old enter the pic-turebook section of the store. ... Reading teacher Deb Kelt... more
... The children's book buyer for an in-dependent bookstore in Austin, Texas, Meghan Goel, claims she rare-ly sees anyone over 7 years old enter the pic-turebook section of the store. ... Reading teacher Deb Kelt (per-sonal communication, April 23, 2010) explained to us: ...
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This content analysis of Caldecott books from 1938 to 2015 focused on the ethnicities of the books’ illustrators and authors, as well as the ethnicity of the human main characters. Findings revealed that White authors and illustrators... more
This content analysis of Caldecott books from 1938 to 2015 focused on the ethnicities of the books’ illustrators and authors, as well as the ethnicity of the human main characters. Findings revealed that White authors and illustrators have created approximately 87% of the Caldecott books, and the large majority of main characters have been White. Taking a more nuanced look at the Latinx books, we found that most of the Latinx authors and illustrators did not create stories about their own cultures while many of the Latinx main characters were created by authors and illustrators from other cultures.
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Practical Implications: ILA National Recognition program involve reflection, self-study, on-site visits by peers to support and inspire ongoing literacy teacher preparation program quality and improvement.
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Given that much of the research on classroom libraries focus on elementary school classrooms, this study sought to examine classroom libraries at the middle school level. Access to books is especially important for middle school students... more
Given that much of the research on classroom libraries focus on elementary school classrooms, this study sought to examine classroom libraries at the middle school level. Access to books is especially important for middle school students given the persistent decline in reading engagement at this level. The research questions guiding this investigation focused on the nature of the libraries, the physical features of the libraries, the contributions made by the libraries to the literacy environment of the classrooms, the contents of the libraries, and teacher perceptions of their own classroom libraries. Findings indicate that teachers value classroom libraries for promoting literacy engagement and understand how these libraries provide students with immediate and easy access to books. The contents of the libraries that were examined varied in terms of genre, multicultural literature, and social justice issues.
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This article seeks to complicate the understanding of Bishop's (1990) metaphor of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors, with particular emphasis on sliding glass doors and the emotional connections needed for readers to move... more
This article seeks to complicate the understanding of Bishop's (1990) metaphor of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors, with particular emphasis on sliding glass doors and the emotional connections needed for readers to move through them. The authors begin by examining the importance of the reader and the characters he or she meets. Next, the authors extend Bishop's metaphor by exploring the role of readers’ emotional connections to texts and characters. The authors then make recommendations for selecting appropriate books, linking books thematically, and guiding readers in ways to respond. They conclude with a call to action for teachers to consider their responsibility to #EmpowerTheReader.
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We examined representations of main characters in Caldecott Award winner and honor books over the past 25 years. Each book containing a human main character was coded for the following features: culture/ethnicity, gender, age, place where... more
We examined representations of main characters in Caldecott Award winner and honor books over the past 25 years. Each book containing a human main character was coded for the following features: culture/ethnicity, gender, age, place where character lives, time period in which the character lives, disability, religion, socioeconomic status, and language usage. Although we found some promising changes in representation across the decades, overall the main characters in contemporary Caldecott books are predominantly White and show minimal diversity in terms of SES, disability, religion, or language usage. We use the metaphor of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors to reflect on what appears to be a gulf between the students in today's schools that are becoming increasingly diverse and the characters they meet in Caldecott books.
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... Changes in the world of children's literature Unlike the beginning of the 20th century, the 21st century will open with ample supplies of visually appeal-ing children's book titles from which teachers and chil-dren may... more
... Changes in the world of children's literature Unlike the beginning of the 20th century, the 21st century will open with ample supplies of visually appeal-ing children's book titles from which teachers and chil-dren may choose. ...
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Research Interests: Psychology, Teacher Education, Educational Research, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Literacy, and 11 moreEarly Literacy, English Language Arts, Emergent Literacy, The Effects of the Structured Read Aloud Process, Primary Education, Kindergarten, Reading Education, Beginning Reading, Reading Aloud, Literacy Teaching In Early Childhood, and Reading Process
Bring text and its meaning alive for students! This collection offers the perspectives of classroom teachers, researchers, and children's book authors, including award-winners Kate DiCamillo and Katherine Paterson. Together, they... more
Bring text and its meaning alive for students! This collection offers the perspectives of classroom teachers, researchers, and children's book authors, including award-winners Kate DiCamillo and Katherine Paterson. Together, they share their thoughts on the power of character ...
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Abstract This qualitative study examined the impact on adjunct teacher preparation instructors of a systematic program of professional development focused on diversity. Adjunct instructors with varying degrees of participation in the... more
Abstract This qualitative study examined the impact on adjunct teacher preparation instructors of a systematic program of professional development focused on diversity. Adjunct instructors with varying degrees of participation in the “diversity initiative” were selected as participants. Interviews were conducted, syllabi analyzed, and student questionnaire information collected to determine how participation in the initiative affected the attention to diversity within participants' courses. The resulting cases reveal that intensive involvement in professional development resulted in clearly articulated diversity goals, enhanced awareness of the importance of attending to issues of diversity, use of multiple approaches to address diversity, and changes in course assignments.
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Participants Participants for this study were members of the Commission, a group convened in the spring of 1999. The purpose of the larger project was to study effective, four-year undergraduate reading teacher preparation programs and to... more
Participants Participants for this study were members of the Commission, a group convened in the spring of 1999. The purpose of the larger project was to study effective, four-year undergraduate reading teacher preparation programs and to identify features of excellence across these programs (International Reading Association, 2003). In a competitive process, a panel of reading experts selected the eight sites of excellence using the following criteria:(a) special attention to reading within the undergraduate program,(b) focus on and ...
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Features of Excellence of Reading Teacher Preparation Programs Janis Harmon, Wanda Hedrick, Miriam Martinez, Bertha Perez, and Susan Keehn University of Texas at San Antonio Joyce C. Fine Deborah Eldridge Florida International University... more
Features of Excellence of Reading Teacher Preparation Programs Janis Harmon, Wanda Hedrick, Miriam Martinez, Bertha Perez, and Susan Keehn University of Texas at San Antonio Joyce C. Fine Deborah Eldridge Florida International University Hunter College V Amy Seely Flint Indiana University Denise M. Littleton and Mona Bryant-Shanklin Norfolk State University Rachelle Loven Lori Assaf and Misty Sailors University of Sioux Falls University of Texas at Austin s American school achievement has come under increased scrutiny in A recent years, ...
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While scholars have recognized the meaning making potential offered by the peritext of picturebooks, there has previously been only limited research on the nature of peritextual features. This content analysis focused on the ways in which... more
While scholars have recognized the meaning making potential offered by the peritext of picturebooks, there has previously been only limited research on the nature of peritextual features. This content analysis focused on the ways in which various peritextual features (dust jackets, beginning endpapers, illustrations before title page, title pages, half title pages, dedication/copyright pages, final endpapers, and notes) contribute to the development of narratives in Caldecott award winning books published between 1938 and 2013. We found that in these quality picturebooks, peritextual features (particularly those appearing before the text of the story) contain rich character and setting information, as well as clues that often point to the genre of a story. In more recently published books especially, important plot elements may unfold only in the peritext. This analysis suggests that peritextual features frequently offer critical information that readers can use to build a framework for stepping into story worlds. Educators attuned to the potentially abundant information in the peritext may guide young readers in exploring these features, and thus foster in their students a richer understanding and fuller engagement with the narrative.
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Five second graders make their way, scripts in hand, to the front of the classroom. They giggle with an ticipation as they turn their backs to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen," their teacher announces, "The Readers... more
Five second graders make their way, scripts in hand, to the front of the classroom. They giggle with an ticipation as they turn their backs to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen," their teacher announces, "The Readers Theatre of Room 313 proudly presents an adaptation of ...
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EJ511623 - Special Relationships (Bookalogues).
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EJ437323 - Spinoffs and Extensions of Folk Literature: Language Play at Its Best (Bookalogues).
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EJ587443 - Toward Understanding Oral Reading Fluency.
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19 Young Children's Literary Meaning Making MIRIAM MARTINEZ, NANCY ROSER AND CAITLIN DOOLEY Much recent attention to young children's literacy has focused on their ... Morrow (1988) examined the number and com-plexity of... more
19 Young Children's Literary Meaning Making MIRIAM MARTINEZ, NANCY ROSER AND CAITLIN DOOLEY Much recent attention to young children's literacy has focused on their ... Morrow (1988) examined the number and com-plexity of four-year-olds' responses to literature. ...
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This is a comprehensive textbook, typically used as an overview of children's literature as a field of study. The first of the six editions was published in 1998.