I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 'DARTS'ACTIVITIES RELATED TO UNDERSTANDING AND
READING OF TEXTS, ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORK OF LUNZER AND GARDINER
PLEASE.

Eric Lunzer and Keith Gardner worked at the University of Nottingham
during the 1970s and 1980s. Their book, "The effective use of
reading", was published by Heinemann in 1979 (ISBN: 0-43-510498-5
[paperback], 0-43-510497-7 [hardback]).

The Effective Use of Reading project proposed a number of ways to
assist readers to engage with a text, understand the ideas held within
the text, and evaluate the implications of these ideas. These
suggestions were referred to using the acronym DARTS (Directed
Activities Relating to Texts).

These are about 30 field-tested techniques that can be used by
teachers of reading to help readers to engage in and make sense of
what they see written in front of them.

Some of the DARTS techniques are outlined here:
http://www.nelsonthornes.co.uk/secondary/geography/papers_1.htm
http://www.nelsonthornes.co.uk/secondary/geography/read&learnfig1.htm
http://www.cant.ac.uk/xplanatory/Tutorials/READA/reada13.htm
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/education/english/inaug.html
http://www.blss.portsmouth.sch.uk/training/darts.htm

I hope that I have pointed you in the right direction and provided
sufficient information for you to further investigate these
techniques.


Search terms used:
Lunzer DARTS
DARTS text reading

Very useful info provided, I wish my second question was answered as quickly

There is a good summary of DARTS activities here:

http://www.crete-ou.org/movingwords/pages/poetry/DARTS.html

If you're looking for more depth, I've found an interesting paper
entitled "Lowering the Language Barrier in Learning and Teaching
Science" which has an extensive discussion of DARTS (beginning on page
7 of the document.)

http://www.issen.org.uk/Documents/SSR%2079(288)%2035-46.pdf

If you don't already have it on your computer, you need to install
Adobe Acrobat reader software in order to view pdf files like the one
linked above. You can download a free copy of Acrobat Reader 5 here:
 
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html