See and hear : the journal on audio-visual learning (1945)

Reading and Radio . . . PLANNED PROGRAMS INCREASE TEXAS STUDENT READING B by Mildred Jackson Fulmore Jr. High School, and A. L. Chapman, Director Bureau of Research in Education by Radio, University of Texas, Austin ILLV WAS WRniNG the litlcs and authors of books on the bhickboard. lonimy was leaxing the classroom, headed toward the principal's office to help warm up the central sound system and send Readhig Is Adventure, to room S-9. The 37 seventh graders "in room S-9, as they follow their problem, learning to read more widely and more selectively, are prejniring to listen to Reading Is Adventure, one of the fi\e series of the Texas .School of the Air programs. The series, Reading Is Adventure, is designed for junior and senior high students. Librarians and language arts teachers selected a list of about six books for each of the thirtx weekly programs. These books meet four criteria: 1. The books are suitable for children at about the ninth grade level. 2. The books are in most junior and senior high school libraries. 3. The books are those which adolescents enjo). 4. The books are acceptable to language arts teachers in meeting the requirements of "parallel," "outside," or "required" reading in English classes. Fifteen Book Lists Included in Free Guide There are fifteen different categories of books. The "Teachers' Classroom Guide, " which is furnished free of charge by the I'exas State Department of Education, contains the titles and authors of the books, and suggestions for using Reading Is Adventure. The programs, which are produced at Radio House at the University of Texas are designed to cause the Tommy reminds the office secretary to warm up the central sound yotem for the "Reading Is Adventure" program. students to want to read the Reading Is Adventure books and other similar ones. The aim of the radio programs is to help junior and senior high school teachers do better that which they are already trying to do. The problem of getting enough books for the se\enth-grade level is met by the book committees of students. One book committee can\asses the school library on Monday and Tuesday for Reading Is Adventure books for the week. Another book committee of students canvasses the trailer library, which is a branch of the city public library. All the a\ailable books are then brought to the classroom on the day of the broadcast and checked out after the broadcast. Each day thereafter from five to ten minutes are used to permit the students to exchange books. During the entire week Billy's list of Reading Is Adventure books remains on the blackboard. These Are the Teacher's Responsibilities No problem of curriculum correlation arises because it matters little whether one of the children reads Adventures of a G-Man the first day of school or the last; nor whether he reads 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea before or after he reads Treks Across the Veldt. Once the series has gotten under wav in the fall and the students have worked out the "machinery" for listening, the teacher has only two major responsibilities: 1 . To act as referee and judge during the distribution of books on the da) of the broadcast; and 2. To appoint the book committees each week. Except for helping the students work out plans for excursions, producing a simulated broadcast or something of that sort, the utilization activities are pupil centered and almost spontaneous. The chief outcome of the use of Reading Is Adventure is the opportiHiitv for the students to ivork to A "Reading Is Adventure" book committee at Fulmore Jr. hfigh School selects books in the school library. ■ HUP^^IHf ^^H w pfm ilOP ^m ;i m i ,^W| i Ri 1^^ JH ■ Hi " ■ % 1 ^^^1 1 ^^^^HhEI HflHr~ It Ijj^l 21 SEE & HEAR