For many teachers of middle school and high school, the greatest challenge they face in trying to help struggling readers improve their skills can be students' self-perception. When young people do not see themselves as members of the "literacy club," it is not just a simple matter of persuading them that becoming a fluent reader is…

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

The objective of this project for kindergarten through fifth grade is to interest public and private educational institutions in the systematization of elementary school reading programs. Facets of Systems Directed Reading (SDR) include the use of a differentiated staffing pattern; experienced language arts unit leaders guiding and directing all…

The article describes the Direct Instruction Skills Plan, a comprehensive plan for direct and text-related reading skill instruction which places skill instruction prior to text reading. Steps include anticipatory set, objective and input, modeling, purpose setting and guided application, independent practice, checking for understanding, real-life…

This packet is designed for use by persons conducting staff-development workshops on reading readiness and beginning reading. Organized according to an "interrelatedness concept of readiness," the materials cover six interdependent factors: physical, perceptual, cognitive, linguistic, psychological, and experimental/environmental. The…

This issue of "Reading in Virginia" features a bicentennial article on three early pioneers in the diagnosis of specific reading problems: Adolf Kussmaul, Rudolf Berlin, and Samuel Orton. Additional material includes sketches of the two recipients of the Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA) Distinguished Teacher Awards (Kim Rusinow…

Two of the most widely used reading programs in the country, the 1976 Houghton Mifflin Reading Series and the 1976 Ginn Reading 720 Series, are analyzed in this volume to determine the methods they suggest for teaching reading comprehension. Eight sections contain the following information: (1) a short description of some of the surface features…

The reading program for the junior high special curriculum which is described uses a protective vocabulary of about 100 words and phrases, experience charts, incidental materials, and basal texts. Basic considerations of the functioning of mentally handicapped children are used in determining the scope of the program; instructions are given for…

Drawing on methods currently employed at St. Philip's College (San Antonio, Texas), this paper describes six strategies for teaching critical reading skills to developmental students. For each of the methods presented, relevant resources are cited, a step-by-step instructional approach is provided, and the purpose and goals of the specific…