ERIC ED396255: Yes, There Is Magic in Literature--But Is There an "Mmmm" Sound in Magic? Instructional Resource No. 27.

32 Pages·1996·0.52 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CS 012 496
ED 396 255
Price, Debra; And Others
AUTHOR
Yes, There Is Magic in Literature--But Is There an
TITLE
"Mmmm" Sound in Magic? Instructional Reiource No.
27.
National Reading Research Center, Athens, GA.;
INSTITUTION
National Reading Research Center, College Park,
MD.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),
SPONS AGENCY
Washington, DC.
PUB DATE
96
117A20007
CONTRACT
NOTE
32p.
Descriptive (141)
Reports
PUB TYPE
MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Beginning Reading; Case Studies; Classroom
DESCRIPTORS
Communication; Grade 1; Primary Education; *Reading
Instruction; Reading Skills; *Teacher Behavior;
Teacher Student Relationship; Teaching Methods;
*Whole Language Approach
Direct Instruction
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
Concerns have been expressed both in the popular
press and in the professional literature regarding skills instruction
and the literature-based movement. There is a growing perception that
direct instruction in "basic" skills is discouraged within a
literature-based philosophy. This booklet challenges this perception
in a
as a myth through the inspection of skills instruction
first-grade classroom by a teacher who is deeply immersed and
committed to a literature-based instructional teachers, learners,
males, females, Engliah-as-a-Second-Language successful in developing
students' control over the convention of print and independence in
reading through explicit and direct instruction. (Author/RS)
**************************************************
******************)
*
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
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*
from the original document.
stated in this
Points of view or opinions
necessarily represent
document do not
policy.
official OERI position or
mai ris
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1
t,
;
'2*.a73
Debra Price
James V. Hoffman
Sarah McCarthey
with Patti Bridwell
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Improvement
Office of Educational Research and
INFORMATION
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
CENTER (ERIC)
444
document has been reproduced as
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Instructional Resource No. 27
Center
Summer 1996
National Reading Research
NRRC
Research Center
National Reading
But
Magic in Literature
Yes, There is
Magic?
"Mmmm" Sound in
is there an
Debra Price
James V. Hoffman
Sarah J. McCarthey
TexasAustin
The University of
With
Patti Bridwell
School
Gullett Elementary
School District
Austin Independent
NO. 27
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE
Summer 1996
3
NRRC
National
Reading Research
Center
Executive Committee
Co-Director
Donna E. Alvermann,
University of Georgia
John T. Guthrie, Co-Director
Park
University of Maryland College
Director
James F. Baumann, Associate
University of Georgia
Director
Patricia S. Koskinen, Associate
Park
University of Maryland College
Associate Director
Jamie Lynn Metsala, Interim
Park
University of Maryland College
Director
Nancy B. Mizelle, Assistant
University of Georgia
Penny Oldfather
University of Georgia
John F. O'Flahavan
Park
University of Maryland College
James V. Hoffman
University of Texas at Austin
Cynthia R. Hynd
University of Georgia
Robert Serpell
Baltimore County
University of Maryland
Betty Shockley
Athens, Georgia
Clarke County School District,
Linda DeGroff
University of Georgia
Publications Editors
e
spectives
Research Reports and
Linda DeGroff, Editor
University of Georgia
Associate Editor
James V. Hoffman,
University of Texas at Austin
Associate Editor
Mariam Jean Dreher,
College Park
University of Maryland
Instructional Resources
of Georgia
Lee Galda, University
Research Highlights
William G. Holliday
Park
University of Maryland College
Policy Briefs
James V. Hoffman
University of Texas at Austin
Videos
Shawn M. Glynn,
University of Georgia
NRRC Staff
Barbara F. Howard, Office Manager
Kathy B. Davis, Senior Secretary
University of Georgia
Barbara A. Neitzey, Administrative Assistant
Valerie Tyra, Accountant
University of Maryland College Park
National Advisory Board
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Saratoga Warren Board of Cooperative Educational
Services, Saratoga Springs, New York
Arthur N. Applebee
State University of New York, Albany
Ronald S. Brandt
Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development
Marsha T. De Lain
Delaware Department of Public Instruction
Carl A. Grant
University of 1,44Sconsin-Madison
Wafter Kintsch
University of Colorado at boulder
Robert L. Linn
University of Colorado at Boulder
Luis C. Moll
University of Arizona
Carol M. Santa
School District No. 5
Kalispell, Montana
Anne P. Sweet
Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
U.S. Department of Education
Louise Cherry Wilkinson
Rutgers University
Production Editor
Katherine P. Hutchison
University of Georgia
Dissemination Coordinator
Jordana E. Rich
University of Georgia
Text Formatter
Ann Marie Vanstone
University of Georgia
k.)
iCZ:
Center
About the National Reading Research
(NRRC) is
The National Reading Research Center
and
funded by the Office of Educational Research
Improvement of the U.S. Department of Education to
instruction.
conduct research on reading and reading
University
The NRRC is operated by a consortium of the
College Park
of Georgia and the University of Maryland
institutions
in collaboration with researchers at several
natioriwide.
document
The NRRC's mission is to discover and
and communities
those conditions in homes, schools,
skilled, enthusiastic,
that encourage children to become
lifelong readers. NRRC researchers are committed to
advancing the development of instructional programs
motivational
sensitive to the cognitive, sociocultural, and
NRRC
factors that affect children's success in reading.
studies
researchers from a variety of disciplines conduct
cultural
with teachers and students from widely diverse
pre-kindergarten
and socioeconomic backgrounds in
projects deal
through grade 12 classrooms. Research
interac-
with the influence of family and family-school
interaction of
tions on the development of literacy; the
the impact
sociocultural factors and motivation to read;
reading achieve-
of literature-based reading programs on
instruction on
ment; the effects of reading strategies
literature, sci-
comprehension and critical thinking in
influence of innovative group
ence, and history; the
learning; the
participation structures on motivation and
literacy;
potential of computer technology to enhance
standards for
and the development of methods and
alternative literacy assessments.
participation
The NRRC is further committed to the
A better
of teachers as full partners in its research.
development of
understanding of how teachers view the
literacy, how they use knowledge from research, and
how they approach change in the classroom is crucial to
improving instruction. To further this understanding, the
NRRC conducts school-based research in which teach-
ers explore their own philosophical and pedagogical
orientations and trace their professional growth.
Dissemination is an important feature of NR RC
activities. Information on NRRC research appears in
several formats. Research Reports communicate the
results of original research or synthesize the findings of
several lines of inquiry. They are written primarily for
researchers studying various areas of
i eading and
reading instruction. The Perspective Series presents a
wide range of publications, from calls for research and
commentary on research and practice to first-person
Instructional
accounts .of experiences
schools.
in
Resources include curriculum materials, instructional
guides, and materials for professional growth, designed
primarily for teachers.
For more information about the NRRC's research
projects and other activities, or to have your name
added to the mailing list, please contact:
Donna E. Alvermann, Co-Director
National Reading Research Center
318 Aderhold Hall
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-7125
[phone]
John T. Guthrie, Co-Director
National Reading Research Center
3216 J. M. Patterson Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
[phone]
.'
About the Authors
student in Language and
Debra Price is a doctoral
Of
University of Texas at Austin.
Literacy Studies at the
the various ways first-
particular interest to her are
code instruction.
grade teachers approach
professor in Language and
James V. Hoffman is a
Austin.
University of Texas at
Literacy Studies at the
in
in the areas of research
His research interests are
and beginning reading.
teaching, teacher education,
assistant professor in
Sarah J. McCarthey is an
of
Studies at the University
Language and Literacy
undergraduate reading
Texas at Austin. She teaches
graduate
methods classes and
and language arts
Her
and sociolinguistics.
classes in reading research
in
the role of dialogue
research interests include
and
writing conferences,
learning, teacher-student
school.
in the elementary
teachers' literacy practices
Gullett Ele-
first-grade teacher at
Path Bridwell is a
School
Austin Independent
mentary School in the
in the
has been a leader
District. Ms. Bridwell
has
the Austin area. She
literature-based movement in
teacher
involved as a mentor in the
also been actively
University of Texas.
education program at The
National Reading Research Center
Universities of Georgia and Maryland
Instructional Resource No. 27
Summer 1996
Yes, There is Magic in
LiteratureBut is there
Sound in Magic?
an "Mmmm"
expmssed both in the
Abstract. Concerns have been
literature regarding
popular press and in the professional
literature-based movement. There is
skills instruction and the
skills is
that direct instruction in ubasic"
a growing perception
philosophy. Through
discouraged within a literature-based
perception as a myth. We do so
this article, we challenge this
instruction in one first-grade
through the inspection of skills
deeply immersed and commit-
classroom by a teacher who is
de-
instructional philosophy. We
ted to a literature-based
in
this teacher is successful
scribe the many ways in which
the convention of print and
developing students' control over
explicit and direct instruc-
independence in reading through
tion.
reading
in
movement
The literature-based
and is working its
instruction has swept the country
from the constraints of vo-
magic. Teachers, freed
the
discovering
are
readers,
cabulary-controHed
to motivate students to
potential for quality literature
immersed in rich literary
learn to read. Students,
to think about
experiences, are discovering new ways
it. Not
and their place in
themselves, their world,
the magical
convinced, however, that
everyone is
directly into student
qualities of literature translate
ex-
learning to read. We see concerns
success in
"new"
the failure of the
pressed in the media over
issues as the
approaches to address such basic
We write in response
teaching of basic decoding skills.
that direct instruction in
to those critics who suggest
literature-based
"basic skilis" is incompatible with a
inspect, through
teaching philosophy. We invite you to
teaching and learning
the data we have gathered, the
We hope the description
in one first grade classroom.
models for teaching skills
is educative toward potential
in the context of literature.
The Teacher
first grade for 1 0
Patti Bridwell has been teaching
in fairly
her preparation to teach
years. She describes
influential on her
traditional terms and not particularly
for her have been her
thinking. Far more influential
with students, her
experiences in her own classroom
Routman has been a big
professional reading ("Reggie
interactions with her
influence on me."), and her
of literature-based/
colleagues. She is a supporter
approaches and rejects
whole language instructional
philosophy incorporated in
the skills-based teaching
traditional basals.
I couldn't stand
"I never was a basal teacher.
Mr. Fig. I thought
reading another story about
those characters."
was ready to strangle
of the language arts
Patti believes in integration
believes basic skills can
and thematic teaching. She
literature. The skills that
and should be taught through
based on the
should be determined
are to be taught
1
v,^
't