Thirty-three first grade classrooms in Georgia were observed to determine the state of language experience instruction and to examine whether such instruction makes a difference in students' awareness of the reading purpose, their knowledge of instructional terminology, their reading attitudes, and their reading achievement. The Allen Level of…

A first grade teacher relates various techniques, based on her knowledge of linguistics, which she uses to teach reading and language awareness; illustrated. (RD)

Provides ideas for implementing the language experience approach with first-grade students. (FL)

Nineteen first grade children were randomly assigned to two experimental reading instruction conditions lasting 12 weeks. Both conditions used the language experience approach to teaching beginning language. In the experimental stage, the language experience approach was augmented by a total of six hours of individualized word-bank activities.…

THE RESULTS OF A STUDY OF THE TIME ALLOCATED TO VARIOUS ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE ARTS BY 48 TEACHERS OF 1,600 FIRST-GRADE DISADVANTAGED URBAN CHILDREN IN NEW YORK CITY ARE REPORTED. TWELVE CLASSES EACH WERE ASSIGNED TO ONE OF FOUR METHODS USED IN THE CRAFT PROJECT (COMPARING READING APPROACHES TO FIRST-GRADE TEACHING WITH EDUCATIONALLY DISADVANTAGED…

The study evaluated the effects of using a language experience approach over a 3-month period with kindergarten and first grade hearing impaired students. The language experience approach encouraged growth in vocabulary, reading, and writing skills, as well as in self confidence and self esteem. (Author/DB)

A study of the oral language of Native American children indicates that many are not proficient enough in English to learn to read. Suggestions are given for language development. (MKM)

First-graders taught reading by phonics or language experience approach were compared on their ability to orally decode lists of words identified as either real or nonsense words. The two groups did not differ in overall correct responses, nor were their strategies influenced by the "real/nonsense" directions. (SJL)

This paper describes a child-centered first grade classroom where learning to read is viewed as a natural step in the language acquisition process. Discussed in detail are methods of individualizing instruction for four particular children, the use of basal readers, daily writing activities using the Language Experience Approach, and both group…

The importance of building positive attitudes and habits in developing successful reading experiences is discussed. In order to have positive attitudes toward himself and toward his reading, the child must acquire basic concepts about language and its relation to himself. Among these concepts are (1) I can talk about what I think about, (2) what I…

To examine the effects of whole language and language experience approaches on beginning reading achievement, a quantitative synthesis was performed on two databases: 5 first-grade studies of the United States Office of Education and 46 additional studies comparing basal reading approaches to whole language and language experience approaches. (SLD)

A study investigated reading performance in one dimension of the language experience approach--the dictation of a story to accompany a wordless picture book. A miscue analysis procedure was used to describe the strategies and miscues evidenced by eight first grade beginning readers while reading a basal text story and while reading a dictated…

The relationships between prereading measures of auditory discrimination, letter knowledge, and intelligence and reading ability were investigated for pupils who completed grades 1 and 2 in four different types of instructional programs--conventional basal reading programs, i/t/a programs, language-experience approaches, and code-emphasis…

The purpose of this study was to determine and to interpret the effect of two differing approaches to reading instruction on the self-social concepts of first grade children. The concepts analyzed were self-esteem; social interest; individuation; complexity; realism; identifications with mother, father, teacher, and friend; and preferences for…