Halifax Independent School is a small K-9 school where children learn in multi-age groups and in a setting where all the core subjects are integrated into the study of interesting themes such as Oceans, Nova Scotia, and Living Things. These themes last a whole year, involve the whole elementary school, and are designed to cover traditional subject…

There is growing recognition of the need to end the debate regarding reading instruction in favor of an approach that provides a solid foundation in phonics and other underlying language skills to become expert readers. We advance this agenda by providing evidence of specific effects of instruction focused primarily on the written code or on…

We evaluated the impact of teaching complex grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPC) derived from the Simplicity Principle to at-risk poor readers in Grade 2 classrooms, using a two-arm dual site matched control trial intervention. Poor word readers (n = 149) were allocated to either a) Simplicity GPC (n= 79) or b) Letter-Name Control (n= 70) small…

Since "Reading Power" was launched ten years ago in an elementary school in Vancouver, it has evolved into a recognized approach to comprehension instruction being implemented across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and China. This groundbreaking approach shows teachers how to help students think while they…

Researchers have documented bilingual family literacy programmes in terms of their structure and programming as well as their effect on children's language and literacy development and parents' ability to support such development within the home. What is missing from the discussion is a description of how facilitators mediate understanding within…

Within a learning family, every member is a lifelong learner. A family literacy and learning approach is more likely to break the intergenerational cycle of low education and inadequate literacy skills, particularly among disadvantaged families and communities. The selection of case studies presented in this compilation show that for an…

This article addresses strategies for promoting culturally responsive pedagogy through the implementation of a language awareness curriculum that includes a structured reading intervention program using dual language books. The research builds on the premise that resources such as dual language books can give teachers the opportunity to…

This article describes a collaborative research study of university researchers and Grades one and two teachers from an Ontario, Canada French-language School Board. The School Board offered phonological awareness and reading-teaching training to grades one and two teachers with a long-term goal of improving the reading outcomes of the students in…

This study reports a randomized controlled trial evaluation of a computer-based balanced literacy intervention, ABRACADABRA (http://grover.concordia.ca/abra/version1/abracadabra.html). Children (N = 144) in Grade 1 were exposed either to computer activities for word analysis, text comprehension, and fluency, alongside shared stories (experimental…

In response to concerns about boys' academic underachievement as well as the international gender imbalance in our teaching force composition, a call has been made to hire more male teachers and practice "boy-friendly" pedagogy. Our investigation of effects of male reading teachers and use of computer-based books demonstrated their…

This article explores whether struggling readers from different primary language backgrounds differ in response to phonologically based remediation. Following random assignment to one of three reading interventions or to a special education reading control program, reading and reading-related outcomes of 166 struggling readers were assessed…

Various aspects of beginning reading programs in six countries are discussed in the five articles in this booklet. In the first article, the principles and methods of instruction used in Sweden are described and trends in beginning reading instruction are noted. The importance of a verbal environment, teacher competence, and early diagnosis in…

Finds significant differences in spelling practices and in goals of reading programs between French- and English-speaking teachers of learning-disabled students in Ontario, Canada. (SR)

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO MEASURE THE EFFECTS ON THE INTELLECTUAL, MATHEMATICAL, AND READING DEVELOPMENT OF RETARDED READERS RESULTING FROM TWO PROGRAMS--(1) A PROGRAM BASED ON DELACATO'S NEUROLOGICAL THEORY THAT AN INDIVIDUAL'S PERFORMANCE ABILITIES (SUCH AS READING) ARE FUNCTIONALLY RELATED TO HIS ANATOMICAL PROGRESS, AND (2) A…

In order to determine what programs and practices in teaching reading were being used by the elementary schools in Saskatchewan, a survey was carried out in the winter of 1973. Eighty-two percent of the questionnaires (630) were returned by the schools. The survey shows that elementary schools in Saskatchewan use a variety of plans for classroom…