Discusses the effect of previous knowledge on reading comprehension. Suggests reading instruction methods that evoke the readers' experiences, or schemata, relevant to the material. (HTH)

The experience chart, perceived as a reading instruction method for early primary grade students only, can actually be used on any grade level. There are a plethora of reasons for using experience charts in reading instruction for low achievers among middle school readers, including the following: content is based on background experiences of…

Contributors offer the following suggestions: use the language experience approach with adult beginning readers, remediate adolescent reading attitudes via parents, force students to think through self-propelled reading lessons, and establish a teacher workshop using the participants' content area textbooks. (HTH)

The reading instructor working with adult "beginners" needs to have an open mind, be willing to be imaginative and adventurous, and think positively. The basic approach requires the instructor to build beginners' confidence; encourage beginners to participate fully, think for themselves, and learn to learn; involve beginners in planning; and…

Discusses the Language Experience Approach and process writing, two methods which approach reading and writing as active processes, stressing communication and meaning. Asserts that these methods are compatible and shows how they can be combined and incorporated into kindergarten and primary level classes. (MM)

The psychological and linguistic rationales for an integrative approach to teaching reading and language that is based on the language experience and shared book approaches are presented, and the necessary changes in the Singapore educational system are outlined. Because the program is an integrated language arts approach, reading instruction time…

Describes the "Global Method" of Celestin Freinet, a French educator whose teaching methods (similar to language experience, writing process approach, and whole language) are used by teachers in Europe. Offers excerpts of Freinet's ideas on democratic pedagogy, having children write their own books, teaching writing, moral civic…

The 38 essays in this book look back at language experience as an educational approach, provide practical classroom applications, and reconceptualize language experience as an overarching education process. Classroom teachers and reading specialists describe strategies in use in a variety of classroom settings and describe ways to integrate…

Based on the belief that language should be the central focus for study in the reading and language arts classroom, this collection presents 10 diverse viewpoints on language study in the middle school and secondary school. The collection is divided into the following areas: studying language through literature and the arts, using writing and…

Based on the belief that the teaching and learning of language are inextricably intertwined, this book addresses the challenge of providing an integrated language arts program in the elementary and middle school level that bridges traditional instruction and thematic, whole language, or literature-based instruction. The book also presents ways to…

Reading aloud to children is the most important step towards making a child a reader. It exposes them to print and excites their curiosity through intriguing story lines. Parents play an enormous role in this aspect of reading development, because it begins long before a child is in school. In the beginning of school, teachers spend time assessing…

The Language Shaping Paradigm (LSP) is designed to help improve student language and comprehension by evoking a sample of language and aiding students in a critical review of their personal patterns of language, comprehension, and thought. The basic teaching strategy is built upon having students read essays written or dictated by classmates. Each…

Techniques to help students with language deficiencies include teacher-prepared aids to help individual work, such as marginal glosses, vocabulary guides, cued text, and advance organizers. Teacher-directed group activities include the structured overview, use of semantic webs, use of the language experience approach, and attribute/classification…

The adult English literacy program at the Phanat Nikhom Refugee Camp has developed techniques for actively engaging the sometimes reluctant students in the skill development process leading to literacy. A literacy warm-up chart used daily for five minutes develops the prereading skills of sequencing and left-to-right eye coordination; a variety of…

The curriculum materials in this guide are drawn mainly from in-depth interviews with six persons, five of whom live in the Germantown or Logan sections of Philadelphia and all of whom represent some of the diverse cultural backgrounds found in these two neighborhoods. In addition to the stories of these six persons, six additional stories present…