Suggests that many reading problems may be caused by insufficient background knowledge rather than lack of reading skills. Provides suggestions about how teachers can integrate concepts and materials from social studies into their reading lessons to build students' background knowledge. (ARH)

Examines published content analyses of college reading texts with regard to the following: (1) methodology employed; (2) specific information presented; and (3) trends in content since the mid-1920s. (MS)

Investigates the effect of reading ability on graphically and contextually constrained oral reading errors of fourth grade readers at differing degrees of reading difficulty. Indicates that, at both low and high levels of difficulty, better readers relied on contextual information and poor readers relied more on graphic cues. (MS)

Describes the progression of activities used in an astronomy unit that involved writing to learn and think. (FL)

Asserts that students engage--successfully or unsuccessfully--in dialogues with the curriculum as well as with their texts. Discusses the nature of that dialogue, and the relationship between a reader and the written text. Concludes that the reading dialogue is a vital aspect in the child-curriculum encounter. (MM)

Argues that the tests used to measure reading achievement do not reflect recent advances in the understanding of the reading process, and that effective instruction best can be fostered by resolving the discrepancy between what is known and what is measured. (FL)

Describes a collaboration among policy makers, test developers, curriculum specialists, researchers, and classroom teachers in Michigan that has produced a new interactive definition of reading, new statewide reading objectives, and efforts to develop statewide tests that are more consistent with current theory and research. (FL)

Reports findings of a study of current practices in kindergarten programs showing that teachers seldom use test results to adapt instruction to individual needs. (FL)

Describes a high school developmental program in which newspapers are used to motivate students to read. Discusses how this approach helps improve students' reading and study habits and boost their attitudes toward reading. Identifies four general reasons for students' negative reaction to traditional reading skills material. (JD)

Describes how expository text structure can be taught to students in fifth through ninth grades by using an adapted version of a process developed by McGee and Richgels. Contains daily lesson plans. (FL)

Notes that current American basal series have integrated Hispanics into their materials, with eight of nine important aspects of Hispanic ethnicity represented. Concludes that these series offer teachers fine opportunities for enrichment activities. (FL)

Presents results of a study of how readers fill in information "gaps" in a text to make meaning, using adolescents' response to a story by Brecht. Concludes that such gaps bore children uninterested in making meaning, and that those who make meaning from a mechanical stance may be limited in their comprehension unless deeper ways of…

Discusses possible limitations to the use of context for word learning (such as poor reading skills and text complexity). Recommends that content area teachers be aware of these limitations and provide specific instructions in determining word meaning from difficult contexts. (SKC)

Suggests that reluctant learners can be motivated to read and write if the teacher writes a story in which the student is the hero. Notes that students may be persuaded to write their own stories with themselves as heroes and share them with friends. (JC)

Contends that the addition of the microcomputer as a learning tool may enhance student learning and increase teacher effectiveness using the direct instruction approach. Discusses patterns associated with teacher effectiveness, practical application of the direct instruction model, and the incorporation of computer assisted instruction into a…