A study evaluated the Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL) program using four Australian disadvantaged schools. Two schools implemented the program in the kindergarten year, while the other two schools pursued regular kindergarten curriculum. Children in the program outperformed others on words read in context, but not on words read in…

This study explored case method instruction in a graduate elementary education literacy course. Audiotaped case discussions, students' written reflections, interviews, questionnaires, and field notes were collected. Case method instruction proved to be a successful addition to the course. (SM)

Describes the organization, design, and implementation of a two-week thematic unit for sixth-grade students, which was designed to stimulate critical and creative thinking about environmental issues through integrated reading, writing, listening, and speaking in the context of their reading-language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics…

The No Child Left Behind Act reflects a decision by Congress that federal money not be squandered searching for local solutions, but that scientifically based research be utilized to ensure that every student meets academic standards. The school improvement process requires that local stakeholders cooperatively plan an improvement process, and…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a 4-second time delay instructional package and language of instruction on the learning of English sight words and incidental information by 4 Puerto Rican middle school students with mental retardation. Both Spanish and English time delay conditions were equally effective and efficient for 3 participants.…

Describes the curriculum of the public television program "Between the Lions" (BTL), a series modeling behaviors and skills that foster early literacy. Shows how BTL incorporates developmentally appropriate early literacy practices. Highlights teachers' comments illustrating how BTL is being used in different classrooms and how it…

Uses analogy of patchwork quilt square to describe the reading instruction methods comprising one school's first-grade reading program. Parts include guided reading and centers, guided writing, reading workshops, reading strategies, comprehension through retelling and responding, word study, good literature, a print-rich environment, and strong…

A survey of 549 kindergarten and first grade teachers examined attitudes toward, and knowledge of, beginning reading practices that have been shown to prevent reading failure, including explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and word identification skills. Teachers generally had positive attitudes toward explicit reading approaches, especially…

The relative effectiveness of 3 instructional procedures (sight word, fading, tactile-kinesthetic) in teaching 32 students (age 9-20) with moderate to severe mental retardation to read a series of monosyllabic words was investigated. No one experimental condition was superior to the others, and no skill acquisition differences were found in…

A framework is presented for applying error analysis of oral reading to decisions about placement and instruction. The focus is on assessment practices that rely on the stimulus material of daily instruction and that facilitate decision making on both what and how to teach reading. A case study illustrates application of the procedure. (JDD)

Investigates differences in reading acquisition processes between Dutch and Turkish children learning to read Dutch. Finds that both groups rely on comparable reading strategies. Presents a structural model to examine interactions between the various reading processes in Dutch. Suggests that children learning to read in a second language should…

This article relates the ability to understand individual sentences both in and out of context by normal and developmentally delayed children at various developmental stages to the concept of world knowledge. Implications for assessment and treatment of sentence comprehension deficits among language-disordered students are discussed. (PB)

Describes a five-step sequence for the study of multicultural literature. Presents a detailed example of how the sequence can be used to study literature dealing with Native American cultural groups. Concludes with descriptions of how the sequence can be used and adapted with literature dealing with Black and Hispanic cultural groups. (MG)

Examines the degree to which whole language practices have become a part of reading instruction offered by first grade teachers in six school districts. Finds that teachers spent less than 10 percent of the reading instructional time engaged in practices which could be considered in agreement with whole language theory. (MG)

Reports on reading research in Great Britain published in 1988. Includes sections on word recognition, dyslexia, blind and deaf readers, writing, language and literacy, cohesion and comprehension, parents, and teaching methods. Concludes that most funding reinforces a narrow paradigm of educational research and that aging reading tests are used to…