1. Think about your early experiences in learning to read, both at home and at school. What do you remember? What were your experiences like?

2. 1. What are ways teachers and librarians can help reduce censorship?
2. How should teachers recommend realistic fiction to students? What should be considered before doing so?
3. What are some ways to help children define the genre of realistic fiction as compared to other genres?

3. 1. How do authors of historical fiction create a sense of realism in their stories?
2. How is today’s historical fiction different from historical fiction stories of the past?
3. What must an author of historical fiction do in order to effectively portray characters of the past?
4. Explain several ways teachers can assist students with reading and understanding historical fiction when they have little prior knowledge of history.

4. 1. List and explain four ways teachers can engage children in learning about poetry in the classroom.
2. List and define five forms of poetry and give an example of each.
3. Identify and describe the major elements of poetry.
4. What are the major benefits of poetry for children’s literacy development?

5. 1. List and describe three ways teachers can evaluate the accuracy of the information in nonfiction texts? How would you demonstrate this to your students?
2. Compare the characteristics and conventions of narrative and expository texts.
3. List and describe at least two ways teachers can engage boys in reading.

6. 1. Explain the metaphor of multicultural literature as a mirror and a window.
2. List and describe the four benefits of multicultural literature.
3. List three reasons teachers do not use multicultural literature in their classrooms. Explain how this can be changed.
4. List and define the major features of international literature.

7. 1. List and define the steps in the S.E.A.R.C.H. strategy.
2. How is digital text different from the traditional text? Describe at least three differences.
3. What is the definition of “new literacies” and why is it important to the literacy futures of children?
4. List and define three steps teachers can take to ensure Internet safety for their students.

8. Compare the genre of high fantasy to that of science fiction

Respond To The ReadingQuestions on Meanings (Fish Cheeks)

1. Why does Tan cry when she finds out that the boy she is in love with is coming to dinner?

2. Why does Tan’s mother go out of her way to prepare a disturbingly traditional Chinese dinner for her daughter and guests?

3. What one sentence best sums up the lesson Tan was not able to understand until years later?

4. How does the fourteen-year-old Tan feel about her Chinese background? And about her mother?

5. What is Tan’s purpose in writing this essay? Does she just want to entertain readers, or might she have a weightier goal?

6. How does Tan draw the reader into her story right from the beginning?

7. How does Tan use transitions both to drive and to clarify her narrative?

8. What is the irony of the last sentence of the essay in Paragraph 3?

9. Is it a passage of pure description?

10. Why does Tan linger over the food?