For years, teachers thought that if students could learn to decode words accurately, they would be successful in reading printed text. While it is true that accuracy in decoding is important for fluency, it is not the entire story. Readers not only need to decode the words accurately; they also need to decode them effortlessly or automatically. …

Proposes a Gestalt version of the word family approach to phonics instruction as a way of reducing the number of phonetic units a child must learn to gain total phonetic control of the English language. (TO)

Discusses the use of syllabication in teaching decoding to beginning readers. (RB)

The effects of contextual words upon the identification of test words in sentences were studied with 21 hearing impaired children (seven to 12 years old). Significantly more correct discriminations were made on congruous and neutral sentences than on incongruous sentences indicating that hearing impaired children use contextual cues. (Author/SEW)

Reading disabled adolescents with specific learning disabilities were compared to normal adolescent readers and young normal readers (total N=48). Results showed that context facilitated both decoding and meaning recognition for normal readers, and reading disabled adolescents showed deficits on both tasks. (Author/CL)

An approach to teaching writing and reading to learning disabled adolescents involves controlling the vowel from the simplist word constructions to the most difficult of orthographic constructions. Teaching strategies are based on a model that views most words as regular (categorical)--some more regular (categorical) than others. (Author)

Applies a taxonomy to a review of the methods used to study mental processes in reading that divides the methods into simultaneous or successive and obtrusive or unobtrusive; the taxonomy proved useful in describing encoding and memory processes. (AEA)

Tests the expectation that visual support would be beneficial in phonemic segmentation prior to formal reading and spelling instruction. Trains one group of preschoolers with diagrams and alphabet letters as visual support--another group was trained without visual help. Finds that training helped, but finds visual support useful in phonemic…

Examines the acquisition of a reading vocabulary for abstract and concrete words in 62 second-grade children--words had been learned in basals or outside. Uses two tasks to examine concrete and abstract words. Finds that in neither task did concreteness influence reaction times, and abstract words were read with less accuracy than concrete words.…

Compares the predictive value of rime spellings in English to other types of regularities beyond the level of the single letter. Computer-analyzes a list of 24,000 written words, each paired with its corresponding pronunciation. Reveals that only a small number of rime spellings are highly regular in pronunciations. Suggests English spelling is…

Studies the relationship between decoding and comprehension in the oral and written modalities. Shows that poor decoders scored lower than average and good decoders on all comprehension tasks. Suggests a high degree of interdependence between listening comprehension, reading comprehension and decoding. Interprets results in favor of the…

Describes a reading lesson for first graders in which phonics is taught both explicitly and contextually. Discusses three prerequisite understandings about print that make learning to read much easier for children. Advocates a balanced approach toward literacy instruction that helps children integrate what they already know with new strategies,…

Describes a tool for finding texts that match children's decoding skills. Begins with an overview of current thinking and research on the use of decodable text in beginning reading instruction. Presents five steps to show how teachers can locate decodable texts that match and supplement their phonics instruction. (SG)

Considers how struggling readers may pronounce each syllable more or less correctly when reading a longer word, but without the proper alternating emphasis and de-emphasis characteristic of natural, recognizable speech. Uses a three-part rhyme to determine the relationship between suffixes and stress. Presents some suggestions for helping students…

Reports investigations of some of the factors that affect novice readers' decoding of nonwords. Finds that children aged 7, 8, and 10 assigned more correct pronunciations to nonwords with many orthographic neighbors than those which had few. Discusses results in light of current models. Suggests that a connectionist model with word-level…