Reading for meaning is the primary objective of reading instruction. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers focus on effective ways to instruct comprehension strategies. Concurrently, holistic assessment that is authentic, varied, reflective and ongoing is also a critical objective of reading instruction. These two objectives can be met when…

A study compared an integrated language arts reading program and a strong phonics basal reading program. Subjects were first graders from five eastern Greenbrier County schools in West Virginia. The control group consisted of students in 15 classrooms, during the 1994-95 school year, when a strong phonics basal reading program was taught and…

This final report describes an effective, computer-based method of communicating new syntactic knowledge to students with deafness. "Choosing AVMs," the first intervention developed on the Macintosh computer, used advanced visual markers (AVMs) (icons) to communicate the essence of the syntactical structure to be taught by: (1) capturing…

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) conducted a statewide telephone survey of 531 randomly selected kindergarten through fourth-grade public school teachers to obtain information on how schools prevent and address reading problems. Results indicated that (1) 95% of respondents said remediation should begin at grade 1 or earlier, but less than…

Grade-5 teachers, who were nominated by their supervisors as effective in educating their students to be readers and writers, responded to questionnaires about their practice. The 33 teachers claimed commitments to: (1) extensive reading at the heart of their reading instruction; (2) diverse instructional activities (e.g., whole-group instruction,…

A study examined different teaching styles to determine which was more beneficial to a kindergartner. The study was conducted through the first marking quarter of the school year. Subjects were 24 kindergartners in a suburban, middle class community within the New York City School District. Students were divided into three sample groups meeting in…

Presenting nine papers from the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) Reading Literacy Study that place results in an international perspective, this report address factors related to variation in literacy outcomes, both across and within countries; the teaching of reading; and the quality of life in…

In response to a position paper that called upon the ministry of education in each Canadian province to provide a balanced selection to offerings on the province's authorized list of language arts textbooks, several ministries claimed that a balanced approach to teaching reading was being followed. A letter received from Alberta Education even…

Offered as a policy statement rather than as a how-to manual, this program advisory provides the policy direction and instructional guidance needed to support the improvement of reading achievement in California through the development and implementation of a balanced, comprehensive reading program in prekindergarten through grade 3. The first…

An action research study described and evaluated a program for improving the reading comprehension of targeted first, second, and third grade students, in a progressive suburban community in northern Illinois. The problem was noted by the researchers, who in recent years had observed a need for improvement in reading comprehension as indicated by…

A project explored the reading comprehension skills and strategies of adult basic education (ABE) students. The target population was 55 students from 2 ABE programs in central Pennsylvania. They responded in interviews to a questionnaire that measured their knowledge about reading and reading comprehension strategies, and they participated in…

"Questioning the Author" is a particular style of classroom discussion that tries to get young students (fourth and fifth graders) to actively grapple with the ideas they read about in class. It may be distinguished from other reading strategies by the following approaches: (1) it addresses a text as the product of a fallible author; (2)…

A study reviewed the data on three innovative San Diego, California Unified School District programs: the Reading Recovery program, Turning Point project, and the Hispanic Reading project. The Reading Recovery Program is an intensive, individualized program focused on improving first-grade student reading skills, serving approximately 80 students…

Combining developmentally appropriate early childhood practice with current views of emergent literacy and whole language instruction, this book is designed to help pre-service and in-service teachers incorporate new views of literacy into their classrooms. The book includes extensive examples from actual classrooms to assist readers in…

Integrating language arts instruction with children's literature and content learning, this book helps teachers to teach children to use language effectively by connecting the teaching of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The book blends content coverage with a balanced view of theory and practice. The book also provides examples of…