Set for variability (SfV) is an oral language task that requires an individual to disambiguate the mismatch between the decoded form of an irregular word and its actual lexical pronunciation. For example, in the task, the word wasp is pronounced to rhyme with clasp (i.e. /waesp/), and the individual must recognize the actual pronunciation of the…

It is now widely accepted that phonological language skills are a critical foundation for learning to read (decode). This longitudinal study investigated the predictive relationship between a range of key phonological language skills and early reading development in a sample of 191 children in their first year at school. The study also explored…

This study describes trajectories of early literacy skill development of 99 children (n = 55 boys) in their first year of primary school in New Zealand (NZ). Children were assessed twice weekly for 8 weeks on Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS; Good & Kaminski, 2011) First Sound Fluency (FSF) and AIMSweb Letter Sound…

Concurrent associations between teacher ratings of inattention, hyperactivity and pre-reading skills were examined in 64 pre-schoolers who had not commenced formal reading instruction and 136 school entrants who were in the first weeks of reading instruction. Both samples of children completed measures of pre-reading skills, namely phonological…

This study evaluated the extent to which existing measures met standards for a continuous suite of general outcome measures (GOMs) assessing children's early literacy from preschool through early elementary school. The study assessed 316 children from age 3 years (2 years prekindergarten) through Grade 2, with 8 to 10 measures of language,…

"Leveled Literacy Intervention" ("LLI") is a short-term, supplementary, small-group literacy intervention designed to help struggling readers achieve grade-level competency. The intervention provides explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, oral language skills, and…

This study examined the effects of a 10 week invented writing program with five-year-old preschoolers (mean age 5.7 years) on their immediate post intervention literacy skills and also the facilitative effects of the intervention on the subsequent learning to read during the first 6 months of schooling. The study included 105 children (54 girls)…

In this study, a school district adopted Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS), a scientifically based, class-wide peer-tutoring program for reading. Sixteen new K-PALS teachers were assigned randomly to receive ongoing support from a university expert or from experienced K-PALS teachers within the district. K-PALS teachers who…

The ability to recognize letter patterns within words as a single unit is important for fluent reading. This skill is based on previously established memory representations of common letter patterns. The ability to form these memory representations may be impaired in some poor readers, particularly readers with naming speed deficits (NSD). This…

This guide will help teach phonemic awareness to Pre K-3 students. It presents phonemic awareness as a sophisticated branch of phonological awareness through interactive activities that allows the student to succeed in learning the sounds represented by the letters of the alphabet. The book is designed to provide easy-to-follow suggestions for:…

A 2-YEAR STUDY OF THE ABILITY OF FIRST GRADERS TO LEARN TO READ USING THE "EARLY-TO-READ I/T/A/" SERIES WAS CONDUCTED. SIXTY-ONE FIRST GRADERS IN ROSE HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MUKILTEO, WASHINGTON, WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP USING THE I/T/A SERIES AND TO A CONTROL GROUP USING THE "GINN BASIC READERS." THREE…

Research on the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) is viewed from two aspects--its limitations and how it can be improved. Thus far research has indicated that (1) transition from i.t.a. to traditional orthography is not the problem expected and (2) the children who are taught with i.t.a. read no better or worse than children taught with the…

Presents results from 2 British studies relating preschool reading skills and reading attainment reached by age 11. Substantiates and extends earlier research that correlated early letter identification with reading ability at age seven. Also indicates no support for hypothesis that letter sounding rather than naming predicts subsequent reading…

A COMPARISON WAS MADE OF FOUR DIFFERENT METHODS OF TEACHING BEGINNING READING. THE PROGRAMS STUDIED WERE (1) AN ECLECTIC, "WHOLE WORD" READING PROGRAM PRESENTED IN SCOTT, FORESMAN PUBLICATIONS, (2) A "PHONIC" READING PROGRAM PUBLISHED BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT, (3) A COMBINATION ECLECTIC, "WHOLE WORD - PHONIC" READING…

FOUR APPROACHES TO BEGINNING READING WERE EVALUATED IN A 3-YEAR STUDY OF ELEMENTARY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA. THE FOUR APPROACHES USED WERE (1) A BASAL READER PROGRAM PUBLISHED BY SCOTT, FORESMAN AND CO. (1962), (2) A PHONIC PROGRAM UTILIZING CORRELATED FILMSTRIPS PUBLISHED BY J.B. LIPPINCOTT CO. (1963), (3) A COMBINATION…