A study examined primary school teachers' matching of instructional reading methods to models of reading difficulties and how often they used each activity in their classrooms. Subjects were 39 primary school teachers from the northeast section of a Great Lakes, midwestern state. For the study, teachers characterized each reading method according…

A discussion of the role of reading in second language learning redefines reading and links it, within language learning, to a revised concept of motivation. To fulfill a more useful function in language teaching, reading should be considered a truly creative rather than basically receptive process. The three elements in the complex process of…

This book aims to enlarge the possibilities of reading by suggesting ways to make reading more imaginative and by encouraging a new attitude toward the act of reading. The book discusses the mystery of learning to read, the physiology and psychology of reading, the ongoing contests between various methods of instruction. It guides readers through…

The whole language approach was used with a "well" or successful adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) group. Literature was chosen as a curriculum for which group work could be devised that was geared to all levels of students. The book used was "Choices" by George Ella Lyon, a book of short stories written by characters who live in a small…

The argument between advocates of the whole language approach and the phonics approach threatens to become so polarized and politicized that agreeing on a middle ground seems at times impossible, and the voices of reason and experience are drowned out. The debate erupted anew in California after alarming news stories about reading scores ranked…

There is continuous debate about which word recognition techniques should be taught, especially to early primary grade pupils. All learning activities provided in reading instruction should: (1) be meaningful; (2) have perceived purpose; (3) be interesting; (4) stress understandings, skills, and affective goals; (5) provide for individual…

A qualitative study described the practices that supported literacy development within one first-grade classroom community and focused on one child, beginning with his entry into first grade and ending near the end of his second-grade year. Practices such as the deliberate valuing of children's live at home, the connection between home and school…

This Ready--Set--Read Kit includes an activity guide for families, a 1997-98 early childhood activity calendar, and an early childhood growth wallchart. The activity guide part of the kit presents activities and ideas that families (adults who have nurturing relationships with a child--a mother, father, grandparent, other relative, or close…

Designed for parents and teachers of students with dyslexia, this book uses accessible terms, charts, graphics, and lesson plans to provide step-by-step instructions for teaching reading. Part 1 of the book discusses different types of learning disabilities, followed by case studies that illustrate how children overcame each particular disability.…

A study explored how reflective inquiry could be used to promote preservice teachers' understanding about reading during a one-semester required reading certification course. Subjects, 22 dual certification elementary/special education undergraduate juniors, 27 secondary education undergraduate juniors, and 11 graduate students in a master of…

This paper focuses on ways to include collaborative learning experiences in reading/writing courses as a method of addressing the demands for improving the communication skills of college students. It includes suggestions drawn from methods used in a college developmental reading class (which can, however, be modified for other types of classes),…

A cornerstone of Mississippi's 1982 Education Reform Act, the Assistant Reading Instructor Program sought to improve basic skills acquisition by placing assistant reading instructors in primary grades. The program has not been effective in meeting its objectives. On standardized tests, students who had assistant reading instructors in the primary…

This encyclopedia is a comprehensive explanation of the study and teaching of English and language arts at all levels of education. It includes media, technology, curriculum, learning, and assessment in composition, literature, reading, drama, and language study. Designed to be used as a major resource by administrators, teachers, and students,…

A study addressed the problem of making accurate descriptions of how teachers in first-grade classrooms help their students learn to read and write. It also related the approaches to reading instruction that teachers use to their students' views of reading and their achievement at the end of first grade. For the study, information was gathered…

A required reading course for first-year English majors at Hokusei Junior College (Japan) is described. The course is intended to teach students to survey a text, read through it, form an opinion about its content, and skim portions that are less important. At the same time, students are encouraged to guess at the meaning of unknown vocabulary,…