This article reports on a study that investigated how teachers from the same urban elementary school serving a low- to medium-income student population interpreted, negotiated, and resisted a district-wide mandate requiring them to implement the Open Court Reading program. Interviews and informal observations revealed that there were profound…

Second-grade students were divided into groups subjected to three programs namely, Direct Instruction, Open Court and literature based program, in order to determine the effectiveness of the three programs. The results indicated that the Open Court and Direct Instruction programs did not improve the children's reading.

Summarizes a study that investigated teachers' three favorite books as a child and what they felt to be the three best and the three most popular children's books now. Compares the results to a similar study conducted in 1949. (HTH)

Discusses distinctions between story grammar and schemata, arguing that knowledge of these two concepts has its best educational applications when placed within a developmental perspective. Provides a theoretical framework for story comprehension questioning strategies for teachers. (HTH)

Discusses the insights into learning to read derived from studying a foreign language later in life. Compares some phenomena of foreign language learning to similar reading phenomena observed in primary grade classrooms. (HTH)

This study examines claims regarding the benefits of systematic and explicit phonics programs by comparing literature-based programs with commercial phonics-based programs to determine which best supports second grades' reading strategies and comprehension. Students in literature-based programs performed comparably in their use of graphophonics…

Examines similarities and differences in responses and experiences of two children's natural literacy development--the author's son, and the daughter of librarian Dorothy White, described in "Books before Five." Concludes that by reading aloud and discussing books with the children, parents created a strong foundation for beginning…

Examines two trends in research on literacy--formal and functional literacy--by analyzing some assumptions held by researchers representative of each. Indicates that formalists view literacy as mastery of linguistic and textual forms, while functionalists see it as the ability to use appropriate discourse forms to accomplish desired ends. (SKC)

Describes four encounters--with a doctoral student, a primary grade teacher, a child, and a sociolinguist--to illustrate how teaching and learning, two separate ventures, are sometimes confused with one another. (HTH)

Discusses four British educational practices dealing with reading instruction, written language, copybooks, and oral language and how they differ from American practices. (HTH)