Contemporary education research seeks causal inferences in order to guide policy and practice. Often well-controlled quasi-experimental and experimental designs are used as they are very useful for supporting and contextualizing causal inferences. Nevertheless, individual studies, even high-quality, resource-intensive randomized controlled trials,…

Previous studies indicate that practicum experience is essential for pre-service teachers to develop understanding of effective teaching, professional identity, and culturally responsiveness. However, it is possible that first-year pre-service teachers are not ready to teach in a classroom with as many as 30 students which could present…

Provides examples of using the Directed Reading Activity as a framework for teaching students to comprehend literary text at varying levels of response. (HOD)

Describes multilevel French reading course at Houston Baptist University in which class time is divided into instructor-directed time where students and instructor work together and student-directed time where students work individually or in small groups with learning modules. Students contract for grades and work at their own pace. (BK)

Noting that "every pupil response" (EPR) techniques allow for all students in a group to respond to each question asked by a teacher, this paper explains how EPR techniques may be incorporated in a reading lesson to help students develop decoding ability. The paper offers a justification for using these directed teaching strategies based on…

Cites studies and three illustrative cases showing benefits to a reading program which can be derived from creative dramatics activities. Discusses materials and supplies, physical arrangement and management techniques for a creative dramatics learning center. (BR)

Describes how teachers can incorporate the use of comprehension monitoring activities into the guided reading phase of basal reading instruction. (FL)

Selected periodicals suitable for a young adult collection are listed, and activities are suggested for integrating these periodicals into the school curriculum and/or public library program. Compiled by graduate and undergraduate students in the fields of library science and teacher education, this list provides complete bibliographic information…

An innovative program to improve reading skills is described in this article. (JD)

In order to study the reading attitudes of preschoolers, 2,232 early childhood program participants from different ethnic groups were given the Preschool Reading Attitudes Scale. Factor analysis showed substantial loading in three categories: (1) Reading Books in General; (2) Reading Printed Material in School; and (3) Reading Books in the…

Intermediate grade teachers can help students deal with content area reading problems by using the directed reading activity (DRA) approach. Prior to using this approach the teacher needs to decide the major concepts to be emphasized in the content selection, the vocabulary terms to be taught, the specific skills to be taught to aid in…

Two procedures developed by reading specialists are presented for use in a second-year Spanish class. A directed reading lesson in seven steps is illustrated by an outline of a reading lesson adapted to a one-page Spanish story. The lesson includes a "Three-Level Guide," so called because it is designed to improve comprehension skills at the…

Suggestions are provided for creative activities with a selected list of children's periodicals. The periodicals were chosen as representative of those that are available for use by children, teachers, and library media specialists in the elementary through middle school (K-8) grades. Each magazine was examined by students working on degrees in…

This booklet begins with a rationale for a strategy for structuring reading activities in the English classroom in order to facilitate growth in reading ability and to accommodate students with varying initial levels of achievement. Specific suggestions are provided for prereading activities, the reading itself, and postreading activities. A…

The eleven lesson plans outlined in this booklet are designed to stimulate and challenge both underachievers and reluctant readers by helping them learn to read "The New York Times." The lesson plans include the following: exercises in vocabulary enrichment; exercises for developing dictionary skills; topics for oral reports; topics for…