Rather than being viewed as a reading skill, comprehension is viewed as inferring the task of the writer or as discerning the ends and means of a discourse. Inferring the writer's task is to reason backwards from the product to the questions with which he may have started. Discerning ends and means is to view what is described, argued, or…

A critical step toward becoming a fluent reader is learning to recognize, name and distinguish the letters of the alphabet. This difficult task is often a point of failure. The task, however, can be made easier and less prone to failure. This article, based on research by cognitive scientists, provides guides for how to design a font that will…

LEARNING THE BASIC SKILLS OF READING AND WRITING IS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR A HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD COMPREHEND, AND REACT CRITICALLY TO, THE IDEAS AND PROBLEMS ABOUT WHICH THEY READ. STUDENTS WHO WERE CONSIDERED MATURE READERS COULD DISTINGUISH FACT FROM OPINION, DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CONNOTATIVE AND DENOTATIVE LANGUAGE, AND DRAW…

The purpose of this publication is to point out that reading comprehension questions frequently assess only literal comprehension, and to suggest kinds of questions that involve broader levels of comprehension. The publication first presents two reading passages; for each one it lists sample questions that involve only literal comprehension and…

Suggests ways teachers can provide students with practice in thinking (Editor)

Discusses how the learning of reading skills can be combined with the teaching of musical skills. (MM)

The traditional "developmental" lesson in which the teacher tried to develop ideas and insights is impossible because student reading abilitiy has deteriorated. The ability to read is seen as a source of liberation, but it is dependent on the degree of literacy and the quality of what is read. (MLW)

Provides a rationale for using television as a means of instruction and presents a model for capitalizing on television as a connection to reading. Includes a sample task sheet. (TJ)

Many students assessed as being weak in reading comprehension have no reading disability, but are being asked to read material above their language and conceptual levels of competence. (DD)

Criticizes the application in public schools of the new "cultural literacy," which is restrictive and can lead to intellectual stagnation. Suggests a wider, more active concept of cultural literacy, which involves building new knowledge, accommodating new perspectives, and reading beyond the narrow, traditionally defined notions of our…

The development of cognitive processes is essential to the development of reading comprehension skills. (MKM)

Schools are raising standards to improve academic and technical achievement and intellectual growth for all groups of students, particularly at-risk students. This newsletter contains tools and strategies that school leaders and teachers are using successfully to help students meet higher expectations. It organizes the techniques into five…

Through the meaningful interpretation of sensory data and a background in language experiences, an individual can build more effective knowledge structures. With more effective knowledge structures, one can react more discriminatingly to the written and printed word. Sound knowledge structures involve not only the ability to organize and…

To test the effectiveness of the cloze procedure for developing comprehension skills in reading at the intermediate level, 189 sixth graders were divided into small groups or asked to work independently during this reading program, which lasted five weeks. The materials were presented both as cloze materials and in unmutilated form, followed by…