Many teachers and administrators are caught between opposing forces in education. Often, they're forced into compliance with scientifically based reading research (SBRR) requiring methods and materials that run counter to their own beliefs. Or, teachers are forced to eliminate reading methods that their own experience has shown to be effective.…

The authors address the "whys" and "hows" of encouraging independent reading at home. Practical tips that teachers can give to parents are provided.

An elementary school reading-interest project was designed to overcome summer learning loss and to foster an interest in independent reading. The major strategy, "The Reading Interest Passport," consisted of nine independent reading contracts leading to "badges." This approach was selected after consideration of cost, coordination with ongoing…

Due in part to conflicting opinions and research results, the practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) in schools has been questioned. After a frustrating experience with SSR, the author of this article began a data-driven decision-making process to gain new insights on how to structure silent reading in a classroom, including a comparison…

A review of the literature indicates that instructional differences exist between the instruction given to good and poor readers. A study was conducted to examine the amount of actual reading of connected text, orally or silently, assigned during classroom reading instruction. Twenty-four first and second grade teachers from four school districts…

Three groups of twenty-five children in fourth-grade reading classes were selected for this study. The subjects in class one received plastic tokens for desirable reading responses. The tokens were exchanged for release time from the classroom while reading instruction was in progress. The subjects in class two also received tokens for desirable…

A six-phase management effectiveness strategy that can be employed by secondary classroom reading teachers to facilitate and improve the learning of students whose reading skill needs are severely deficient, is outlined in this document. The first phase, the inventory, requires teachers to list and group all reading materials available. In phase…

This booklet describes methods that teachers can use in recreational reading in early childhood and elementary classrooms and suggests ways to help parents promote voluntary reading in their children. The first section deals with "Promoting Voluntary Reading through Classroom Library Corners." Discussed are the value of classroom library corners,…

Describing the characteristics and attitudes of a nationally representative sample of 36,000 students in grades 3, 7, and 11, this report details the specific features of reading instruction, how students approach their reading tasks, student reading experiences, and the home and school supports to academic achievement. The report is based the…

Describes a teaching unit for junior high school content area classes that is intended to provide students with effective strategies for reading nonfiction. The unit involves independent reading, research, and writing activities which culminate in the publication of student-written nonfiction books on topics of the student's choice. (SKC)

The questions investigated in this study concern the adequacy of the current comprehensive English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, the need for a separate but complementary reading program, the relative merits of a classroom-based or an independent reading laboratory method, and the relationship between native language reading proficiency and…