Children's Literature in the Reading Program —
Abstract of

Chapter 8
The Surreptitious Role of Children's Literature in Classrooms That Aim to Be “Exemplary”

Nancy Roser

Audra K. Roach

Michelle D. Horsey

Amidst reading instruction mandates based on select “scientific” evidence to ensure the success of each low-performing child, children's literature may seem to have gone undercover and yielded its place in favor of curriculum that has been judged to “count.” The evidence presented in this chapter provides an alternative look at studies of effective reading instruction to reveal that wherever there are classrooms that defy the odds against them, there are also quality books for kids. A glance backward at the presence of children's literature in classrooms across time is followed by a look into one classroom of high-needs learners (and their teacher under the pressure of mandated reading programs) who rely on books across their day for learning, study, and pleasure. Peeling back the layers of multifaceted studies of best practices, we find evidence that good books, strategically and purposefully placed, are still central to literacy instruction.

Roser, N., Roach, A.K., & Horsey, M.D. (2009). The Surreptitious Role of Children's Literature in Classrooms That Aim to Be “Exemplary”. In D.A. Wooten, & B.E. Cullinan (Eds.), Children's Literature in the Reading Program (pp. 77-87). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.