Reports a study which examined the effects of direct instruction on the think-aloud protocols of ninth grade readers. Students made think-aloud protocols on two stories before and after instruction. Although the instruction did not substantially affect students' interpretive operations in reading, some students were less submissive to the text.…

Survey examined 1,244 elementary principals' understanding of current issues in elementary reading instruction and information sources they used to learn about issues. Principals reported awareness of current reading issues. They did not have enough confidence in their understanding of issues to give a reasoned rationale for taking one particular…

Expresses frustration concerning teachers relying on reading activities about stories, rather than on the stories themselves. Discusses: parents reacting to their children's choice of stories; using stories on video; stories for children reading below grade level; lack of confidence in the power of stories; whole language and writing; invented…

This paper describes development of the whole language movement and the writing-process movement. It outlines 10 principles shared by both movements, such as the role of prediction, function before form, and integrated use of cuing systems. Implications for language specialists working with language-disordered students are addressed. (JDD)

Advocates using literature logs and literature discussion groups as an effective way to develop a community of readers. Looks at the different kinds of comments and questions that a class of fifth graders wrote in their literature logs. (SR)

This article discusses literature selection for students with learning differences, focusing on types of material available and criteria for selecting books for and about students with learning differences. The article includes a list of literature for and about children with learning problems and a checklist for evaluating these materials. (JDD)

A private day school, Willie Ross School for the Deaf, designed a whole-language approach to reading appropriate for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. This article compares traditional and psycholinguistic approaches to reading, describes the early childhood classroom environment, and presents a lesson using folktales. An assessment checklist is…

Describes prereading strategies that library media specialists can use to encourage students to read for information or to read for pleasure. Directions are given for three learning strategies: sort and predict, anticipation, and building from clues. Examples used with secondary school students and outcomes are given for each strategy. (Contains…

This study of 281 individuals (ages 6 to adult) with reading difficulties who received 80 hours of intensive instruction in the Auditory Discrimination in Depth Program found that subjects exhibited significant gains on measures of phonological awareness, sound/symbol connections, word identification, spelling, and decoding in context. (Author/JDD)

Examines the contrasting interpretations of reading brought by young children of Bangladeshi origin and their teachers into school. The author questions the universal relevance of western school-oriented models on how reading is learned. Reading programs that are culturally responsive to the varied communities they serve must be designed. (49…

This paper describes studies at the University of Colorado, where children with reading problems read stories/books on talking computers using DECtalk. Supported by accurate word feedback, the children's word recognition and phonological decoding have improved. Projects using computer speech programs in a spelling program, home-based reading…

DaisyQuest is a computer program that teaches and provides practice in synthetic and analytic phonological skills. Researchers found young children trained on DaisyQuest had significantly greater phonological awareness gains than children without training. Children trained on a more developed version significantly outperformed a matched group on…

Describes a cross-age reading program used to refine and extend the whole language and process writing goals that are part of the school curriculum plan. Discusses the observation of students and evaluation strategies. (MG)

Discusses how the use of creative dramatics within the classroom at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year can unite, rejuvenate, and motivate students. Describes how students learn decision making and immerse themselves in the responsibilities of the process. (MG)

Describes a read-aloud program, "Language to Literacy," now used in several Texas school districts. Describes how language charts are used to record ideas from stories, help recall other stories, and notice similarities and differences among stories. (MG)