Glazer, S., (2002). Seeing Red: Are Teachers Hurting Instead of Helping When Using the "Red Pen?" Teaching Pre K-8, 32:7, 88-9.
This shocking, but informative article dealt with an important aspect of teaching and mentoring. This article was in regard to a summer "dialogue journal" which the children were expected to read several books and make journal entries on what they felt and what they thought of the book. Glazer noted that "a written response was needed to guide a child to make connections to her experiences, and that an exchange of ideas with the teacher would direct the child to make connections to her relationships and justify her advice." However, the teacher was not content with what Elizabeth had written. The teacher was more concerned with testing how she and her classmates abided to the directions than she was with teaching. Testing the ability to follow directions was her main focus, rather than determining if the child understood the story and how well he or she critiqued it. The teacher and mentor, when responding, should be looking at how the child felt about the story and create a positive conversation with the student, rather than putting them down by saying they should not have used pencil. The student's accomplishments should be praised.

Guthrie, J. & Alvermann, D. (Eds.). (1999). Engaged Reading; Processes, Practices and Policy Implications. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Aided by the National Reading Research Center, Guthrie and Alvermann have compiled several articles discussing reader development and how to motivate young readers. Encouraging reading, motivating, and challenging the students is what this book is based around. The main problem is how to entice children to read. One contributor (Kathryn H. Au) felt that we always read with some purpose in mind, and so reading is motivated by these purposes. Basically, to motivate children to read, they should first read what they are interested in. Give them choice.

Gunning, T., (2000). Nonfiction Biographies. Creating Literacy Instruction for all Children. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. 374-5
This selection out of a chapter discusses the importance of reading and responding to biographies. Not many children run to gather the biographies which discuss important events, they would prefer to read the biographies on sports heroes, and singers. Gunning feels that the children must be motivated to read the non popular biographies. He tells teachers to choose the right subject, saying that the selection should " have led an interesting life and should be someone that the students can relate to." In the Zarnowski study, it was discovered that when the children responded in journals the subject came alive, and they understood that their historical figures "were real people with real problems that had to be overcome." Through this it was intended that students sometimes felt feelings towards their subject, depending on what they had gone through, and connected with people who have helped to shape the history of the world.