Previous research suggests that activating background knowledge immediately prior to read-alouds in Kindergarten is an important strategy for improving children's learning (e.g. Cervetti & Hiebert, 2015). But, because children's background knowledge varies considerably at the individual level, teachers are also often providing relevant…

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) literature suggests that there are different read-aloud goals for DHH prereaders based on the spoken and visual communication modes DHH prereaders use, such as: American Sign Language (ASL), simultaneously signed and spoken English (SimCom), and predominately spoken English only. To date, no studies have surveyed…

The current research study investigated the effects of talking story books on Saudi young EFL learners' reading comprehension skills. A sample of Saudi-young-EFL learners were randomly selected and divided into two groups: an experimental group (40 students) and a control group (39 students). Students of both groups took a pre reading…

Discusses the importance of reading aloud to young children. Suggests several books for reading aloud at the elementary level. (MM)

Discusses the benefits of reading aloud to preschool and kindergarten children. Notes that active participation accounts for many of these benefits. Suggests several interactive story reading strategies, including a Directed Listening-Thinking Activity and shared book experiences. (MM)

Third in a series of four articles devoted to parents and reading. Focuses upon parental involvement in reading and examines research and activities that can be beneficial at home and at school. (HTH)

Provides guidelines for using action (pop-up) books of rhymes and tales to help children develop prereading skills and a sense of story structure. (AEW)

A videotape training package to help mothers learn techniques of dialogic reading to preschool children as a way to accelerate language development was developed and tested with 64 children and their mothers. Dialogic reading affected the children's language development powerfully, and the taped training was an effective teaching method. (SLD)

Fourteen strategies a hard-of-hearing mother uses while reading a book with her hard-of-hearing preschool son are observed. These strategies are grouped in four large categories: (1) confirmation of child's understanding; (2) focusing attention on the book and its content; (3) specific language input; (4) concept development. (Author/LMO)

This study examined effects of immersing four primary grade students with mild mental retardation in a literacy-rich environment. A variety of instructional strategies was used to assist students in understanding stories read aloud by adults, developing decoding skills, and developing prereading/writing skills. Results indicated the students made…

This series of 22 pamphlets, on a range of reading topics, presents instructional techniques for teaching reading in elementary schools. Each pamphlet provides a brief summary of the topic presented, as well as classroom activities. The following topics are covered: (1) Early Literacy; (2) Writing in the Reading Program; (3) Reading and the…