Argues for the fundamental importance of fostering a lifetime reading habit in middle school students. Discusses various ways to provide opportunities to read in middle school; describes teacher demonstrations of effective reading/thinking behaviors; discusses reading aloud; and notes the importance of literacy educators advocating this kind of…

By choosing to classify its decoding approach as "real reading," a 1998 National Research Council report avoids discussing effects of real issues like poverty, race, class, and cultural identity on student achievement. Politicizing education muffles the rigorous academic debate concerning the grievances and educational needs of…

Describes Reading Express, a collaborative program bringing together first-grade teachers and Reading Recovery teachers to support all first-grade children in literacy development. Indicates that the program is having a positive impact on students' literacy development. Concludes that first-grade teachers are more strategic in their reading…

When alphabet instruction is removed from the meaningful context of written language, children receive a distorted message about the purpose and importance of letters in isolation. Activities in a kindergarten classroom designed to promote children's growth as readers and writers should present written language as whole and meaningful, rather than…

States that the combination of analogous problem-solving ability and phonological awareness, in the absence of extensive reading experience, may be necessary for successfully using orthographic analogies. Seventy children of limited reading experience and ability were assessed on phonemic awareness and the ability to make visual and orthographic…

Considers what the research literature suggests about the kinds of texts and kinds of talk that are most beneficial for read-aloud experiences. Provides an overview of Text Talk, an approach to read-alouds directed toward enhancing young children's ability to construct meaning. Includes examples of teacher/student interaction and suggests aspects…

Considers how standards and high-stakes testing corrupts instruction. Notes that the cyclic nature of scope-and-sequence standards, isolated instructional practices, and isolated items on tests is a closed system that has no authentic purpose beyond the academic hallways of schools. Concludes that reading and writing are individual acts at the…

Surveys experiences of 101 primary school teachers of the newly introduced Literacy Hour--about the training and preparation they had received, the implementation of the Literacy Hour, its effectiveness and how children with special difficulties are differentially affected. Reports on other aspects of the Literacy Hour, such as ability…

Examines content literacy's role in physical education,elaborating on several general and specific strategies that physical educators can use to build both content learning and general literacy skills (e.g., journal writing, posting articles about sports and athletics, and completing peer observations). The paper also suggests ways of assessing…

Explains how cultural connections, particularly within the context of reading comprehension, require cognitive processes nearly identical to those Vygotsky associated with higher-order conceptual development, examining the discourse of cultural deficit and how sociocultural research has countered its historical patterns, comparing Vygotsky's…

Examines the reading achievement, metacognitive knowledge related to reading and memory, reading self-concept, and interest in reading of 140 third- and fourth-grade students in Germany. Reveals differences between the third- and fourth-grade students related to teacher evaluation of their achievement, word decoding skills, and metacognitive…

Developed and performed a formative evaluation of a computer assisted tutoring program to help students experiencing problems learning to read. Initial findings with 12 tutors and 25 first and second graders provide support for developing a program designed with "just in time" support for tutors and interactive activities for tutees based on…

Describes part of a project of correspondence between a group of eighth graders and pre-service teachers in an attempt to prepare all students to work with diverse people and ideas. Hopes to enlarge the worlds of the students by putting them in contact with literature from diverse groups and joining them with diverse people from whom they could…

Focuses on adolescents constructing discourse about a book amongst themselves without the help or intrusion of a teacher/adult. Seeks to understand where that discourse may originate within the greater institutional and societal framework of the participants. Explores the limits personal engagement places on conversation which involves race,…

In this article, Marilyn Chapman provides educators and others interested in early literacy with important information about phonemic awareness to help them make decisions about what to do in their schools. She begins with an explanation of phonemic awareness and how it relates to other aspects of literacy development such as phonological…