Presents six curriculum guides for art, social studies, reading/language arts, and science. Each one identifies library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, and instructional roles. Also provided are a description and evaluation of the activity, and suggested follow-up activities. (AEF)

A first-grade teacher in Hawaii's Kamehameha Schools describes her experiences introducing educational technology into the classroom, examining her fears and successes as she and her students learned to use optical scanners, telecommunications, CD-ROM, and electronic mail to enhance their reading and writing skills. (SM)

Inclusion of students with learning disabilities in regular education is explored as it relates to the in-class reading specialist. Issues discussed include the necessity for preservice and inservice preparation for assuming coteaching roles, the importance of personal empowerment of reading specialists, and the need for meaningful integration of…

Examines the problem of children not learning to read well enough for reading to have a positive impact on their lives. It shows that while a large body of research exists on reading instruction, much of this knowledge has not made its way into the classroom. Five points about the reading problem and teaching effectiveness are addressed. (GR)

Studied the role of textbooks in elementary education. Found that the influence of textbooks on teachers' thinking and on classroom instruction was somewhat less than the literature indicates. Patterns of textbook use were not consistent across academic subjects. Conditions of elementary education encourage selective and variable textbook use. (BB)

Explores alternative ways teachers can serve linguistically and culturally diverse student populations. Two Philadelphia elementary teachers have successfully created learning contexts for bilingual literacy. This article describes ways they adapt their teaching for biliterate development and for the particular bilingual contexts and media of…

A four-year longitudinal case study of changes in the teaching of reading and writing made by one female elementary school teacher is described. Changes in the teacher's beliefs and practices and the influence of reflective thinking and collaboration promoted by a master's program and research project are described. (SLD)

Two methods of delivering direct instruction to preservice teachers were compared. Students (n=37) in a reading course learned the Directed Reading Activity (DRA) via lecture and discussion; 37 others learned with videotape and related practice. The latter group retained and used DRA knowledge better over a longer period. (Author/SM)

Examines the differences in the effectiveness of whole language and traditional instruction in end-of-the-year reading, writing, and spelling achievement for children with varying levels of incoming phonemic awareness, reading, and writing ability. Finds that neither program was more likely to close gaps between children high or low in these…

This study, involving 8 Hispanic males (ages 7-10) with speech/language impairments, found that having the teacher discuss a story's key words and read aloud while students read the story silently was more effective than just having students read orally and more effective than discussing key words and having students read silently. (Author/JDD)

A followup of 380 limited-English-speaking Hispanic children in 20 Texas elementary schools found that most acquired English oral language skills at expected rates and were reading in English at expected levels by third grade. Reading achievement was related to instructional factors and early oral competence in either language. Contains 22…

Reanalysis of data from a study by G. G. Duffy and others (1987) identifies changes in the knowledge of cognition (KOC) of 177 poor readers in the third grade over an academic year and the association of changes with strategy use and comprehension. KOC's role in reading is discussed. (SLD)

Presents a study of the effect of differences in reading strategies on the construction of meaning from novel length text. Discusses relevant psychological theory. Hypothesizes effects of differing strategies in reading the book "Animal Farm." Concludes that teacher-directed reading provides a depth of meaning not found when students…

Identifies factors, both helpful and obstructive, influencing teachers' transition from basal to a whole-language curriculum. Observations from two first-grade classrooms and interviews with school principals and two classroom teachers (one whole-language veteran and the other in transition into whole language) are evaluated. (GLR)

Two types of instructional adaptation were explored: routine adaptation (the extent to which teachers establish initial routines to facilitate ongoing adaptation) and specialized adaptation (how teachers modify instructional plans in light of student difficulty). Participants were 110 general educators. (Author/SM)