Argues that strategic reading suggests purpose and intentionality on the part of the reader, which is different from a seemingly reflexive response where skills are concerned or where intuition reveals an answer. Argues that teachers can increase strategic thinking by providing demonstrations of strategies and offering incentives to readers. (RS)

Clarifies the goal of reading instruction in the middle school and draws on the ERIC database for sources that complete the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Reports on the suggested emphasis on reading laboratories and the fostering of reading of expository texts. (JK)

Integrating metacognitive skills into classroom instruction can help students to develop into active, independent readers and learners. B. Armbruster, in a summary of research on metacognition, examined reading to learn from a metacognitive perspective as it related to four variables: texts, tasks, strategies, and learner characteristics.…

Reviews recent research on eye movements and skilled silent reading and notes the new emphasis on providing insight into the comprehension process. (MKM)

Discusses how reading aloud to students improves their reading competencies, including language processes, reading and listening skills, and reading motivation. Concludes that reading aloud should be a regular part of a daily classroom schedule. (MM)

Presents annotations of 15 documents in the ERIC database concerning reports on research findings that highlight practices and procedures that "work" in reading and literacy education. (RS)

Despite a significant increase in test usage, numerous issues surrounding reading assessment remain unresolved. Construct validity--whether the test actually measures aspects of the behavior under consideration--is of particular importance if one is to rely on test scores to direct instruction, predict performance, or determine accountability. A…

Noting a renewed interest in and dedication to the rights and needs of adolescent readers, this digest addresses the development of content area reading, discusses recent reconceptualizations of the field, and offers a new model for classroom practice. It begins with a brief description of the historical context of literacy development in the…

Discusses ERIC documents pertaining to oral reading instruction. (FL)

This Topical Bibliography and Commentary examines recent studies on phonological awareness, finding the evidence conclusive that teaching phonological awareness to young children greatly facilitates the reading process. Researchers have studied problems children experience in reading for many years. The focus of research during the 1990s has been…

Provides a brief review of research concerning the relationship between reading and writing, and of instructional strategies suggested by that research. (AEA)

Noting that it is only within the last decade that schools have begun to identify ways to optimize language use to promote higher level thinking, this ERIC Digest focuses on developing thinking skills in reading. The digest discusses the impetus for critical reading, the use of children's literature as a tool for teaching thinking skills, a…

Addressing recent trends in eye movement research, this 24-item FAST Bib contains selections which date from 1973 through the 1980s. Selections are divided into sections on overview, perceptual processes, cognitive processes, and reading disability and dyslexia. (NKA)

Intended for administrators and policymakers as well as teachers, this digest explores the nature of students' metacomprehension, or their awareness of their own understanding, and the implications of this awareness for reading instruction. After defining metacomprehension, the digest discusses why this awareness is important to the learning…

Examines some recent ERIC materials on comprehension processes and on how teachers can improve students' awareness of comprehension or metacomprehension. (HOD)