Comprehension of expository text can be assisted using hypermedia support--text plus images and speech. This kind of presentation environment, called Responsive Text, compensates for deficiencies in basic reading skills by using speech support to aid decoding, hypertext and images to provide background and vocabulary support, and interactive…

The strategies in this book, geared for students from grades 4-8, are designed to bring literature to life for students, and to encourage students to become lifelong readers. The first section of the book presents four "'Into' Activities" that are designed to get students excited and curious about what they are about to read and to build students'…

A study examined the hypothesis that learning strategy coupled with efficacy-building teaching interactions would lead to greater strategic learning than learning strategy instruction alone. A reading comprehension strategy was taught to 184 students from 4 Los Angeles County (California) public and independent schools. Included were 65…

A study applied Relevance Theory to interpretation of texts written in Ghanaian English, particularly those intended for reading by multiple audiences. The nature of such "hybrid" texts is examined and key principles of Relevance Theory are outlined. Relevance is defined in terms of contextual effect and processing effort. Contextual…

A program was designed and implemented to improve student vocabulary and comprehension. The target population consisted of 59 students in grades 1, 2, and 3 in a low-income area of a large city in central Illinois. The problems of lack of prior knowledge, poor vocabulary, and insufficient comprehension were documented through data collected from…

The literacy strategies in this guide provide practical suggestions for teachers, regardless of discipline, to help middle school and high school students move to Levels III and IV on the North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading/Competency Tests. The strategies in the guide are designed for use with "inefficient" readers (not nonreaders).…

This booklet is intended to help adults master the basic and life skill vocabulary needed to meet the simple communication demands of daily life. It is designed to assist adult basic education (ABE) teachers in the implementation of a competency-based learning system that emphasizes the integration of basic and life skills learning. The booklet…

This book shows elementary school teachers how to help students become confident readers and writers who can use skills they acquire throughout their lives, from a constructivist orientation. It is intended as a main text for an introductory course on elementary-school reading instruction, typically taken by undergraduates in their second or third…

This set of learning modules was developed during a project to deliver workplace literacy instruction to individuals employed in the more than 50 businesses related to the activities of the Port of Baltimore. It is intended to prepare students for the Customs Brokers examination within a 6-week course period. Actual material from past Customs…

A study of reading problems among Hong Kong university students of English as a Second Language has two parts. The first examines a teacher's comparison of a source text with a student's written response. The student subject was a highly-motivated, proficient learner. Discussion of her reading problems focuses on the incidence of misinterpretation…

This project developed computer-based language teaching software to assist beginning second language learners develop listening comprehension skills. Students interact with computer-based simulations of real world problems, which require their understanding of oral language provided by the computer system. The project embraced a communicative…

This study attempted to verify a strategic metacognition model of an efficient, successful science reader based on an analytical induction of reading research results; develop a valid objective assessment instrument; and provide a profile of middle school students' metacognitive knowledge about science reading, science test, and text reading…

From 1988 through 1995 a group of researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education collaborated with teachers from nearby schools on research to address questions about teaching for understanding and linking research with practice. They describe the theoretical foundations underlying the Teaching for Understanding framework, the process and…

A classroom activity for teaching vocational English as a Second Language to adults and focusing on development of listening comprehension is described. The exercise is based on the principles for development of workplace skills offered by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), and addresses specific competencies…

Some general principles of teaching reading in the second language classroom are reviewed. To illustrate the connection between theory and practice, examples are provided of teaching practices used with adult learners of English as a Second language (ESL) who have Chinese and Vietnamese-language backgrounds. A discussion follows of how instruction…