Discusses strategies that teachers can use to support children with and without disabilities in comprehending reading material. Factors contributing to text readability, language learning for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and strategies for in-class text reading and independent text reading are described. (CR)

Describes the Rapid Retrieval of Information technique used with middle school students in order to satisfy students' desire to read aloud, achieve a purpose from oral reading, and teach adult silent reading patterns. Focuses on the strategy of oral rereading to answer a question, prove a point, or provide an example from the text after silent…

Describes how a teacher who taught the same group of students for fourth and fifth grades taught her students to set reading goals, work to achieve them, reflect on them, use self-evaluation to set new goals, and use portfolios to assess their results. Notes that her students used these tools to learn to be critical thinkers as well. (SR)

Describes how, in one Texas fifth-grade classroom, Shared Inquiry book discussions were taught and implemented over a six-month period in connection with the Junior Great Book Series. Discusses solutions to the dilemma of grading these active class discussions, and reports that scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests were…

Describes how a seventh-grade teacher and a special education teacher team-taught three divisions of language arts and reading. Discusses lesson planning, behavior problems, outside support, and significant gains. (SR)

Describes techniques used for teaching French language students to recognize, discriminate between, and pronounce the four French nasal vowels. Includes twenty tongue-twisting sentences exemplifying the different vowels. (MSE)

Three second-grade students with learning disabilities were measured twice a week for 12 weeks on 2 types of curriculum-based measurement (computer maze and oral reading) and an intervention of repeated readings was implemented. Data indicated that the repeated reading intervention affected oral reading CBM, but not performance on the maze…

Describes a promising approach to literacy instruction for Latina/o middle school students struggling with literacy that emphasizes culturally relevant quality literature and that focuses heavily on comprehension-enhancing strategies. (SR)

Using a multiple baseline across students design, the effects of an integrated picture mnemonic strategy on the letter-sound acquisition of three transitional first-grade students with special needs were investigated. Follow-up data indicated the method was an effective instructional technique and that results were maintained over time. (Author/DB)

A "transitivity" analysis within a systematic functional grammar is used to explore what the discourse of reading lessons looks like in one secondary school context and to examine what is being communicated about the culture of schooling. Conclusions are drawn concerning the value of teacher and test-authorising strategies. (Author/JL)

This article describes an elementary school's use of a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) system that allowed teachers to develop reading and mathematics interventions to assist students with and without disabilities. Presents a step-by-step approach to developing CBM and guidelines for implementing CBM in entire classrooms or for individual…

Eleven seventh-grade students with mild disabilities in a general language arts classroom participated in a study that examined the effects of an instructional approach based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Results found the students were more engaged in classroom activities and that eight of the students demonstrated more…

This study evaluated the transfer of decoding skills from a code-emphasis program that used a controlled text to a literature-based basal reading series consistent with the whole language approach. Participants were 11 elementary students with learning disabilities who received reading instruction in a resource program. Results found students…

This article discusses ineffective practices and educational outcomes attributed to the whole language approach which may stem from other educational dynamics, such as failure to provide adequate training or mentoring to teachers, confusing language as a communication process with language arts skills, and failure to apply known principles of…

Two school districts that implemented a whole language curriculum were studied to determine how well students learned traditional reading and writing skills. Analysis of standardized testing, teacher and administrator interviews, and whole language theories indicated students were learning skills as well as they had with a traditional curriculum.…