This paper provides an overview of SuccessMaker, a computer-based reading program that uses literature-based activities to focus on comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, and writing. Intended for use with students in prekindergarten through grade 8, the curriculum challenges students to apply knowledge from literature, content-area reading and…

This paper provides an overview of the Voyager Expanded Learning programs. Initially begun with hands-on, activity-based learning experiences centered around academic themes designed to pique children's interest and motivate them to learn, Voyager has expanded from elementary after- and summer-school programs to include K-8 programs designed for…

Grouping of students for instruction is an organizational pattern that is commonplace in literacy instruction in classrooms. A debate exists, however, about whether instruction is more effective when groups are heterogeneous or homogeneous with regard to student ability. A study aimed to provide a description of the grouping practices of New…

This document contains four issues of a journal that aims to connect literacy in the schools, the community, and the workplace. Each issue also contains an insert focusing on media literacy. Some of the topics covered in the spring 1995 issue include the following: positioning literacy--naming literacy; literacy and machines--an overview of the…

The resource guide presents educators' reviews of instructional materials and resources related to adult and family literacy education, including workplace literacy. Materials reviewed include commercially available classroom materials, Internet sites, computer software, videotapes, and audiotapes. The materials reviewed were drawn from a survey…

A study discusses the effects of a second year of one-on-one intervention on the literacy development of struggling second graders. Twenty-six children participated in the study and were assigned to either a second year of intervention or a control group that received no further intervention services. Participants in the intervention group…

This research brief discusses two reading instruction models for teaching secondary school students with disabilities. The first, Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), is designed specifically for students with learning disabilities and students who are at risk of reading failure. This strategy adapts reciprocal reading and incorporates…

Most Americans think of the Fourth of July as Independence Day, but is it really the day the U.S. declared and celebrated independence? By exploring myths and truths surrounding Independence Day, this lesson asks students to think critically about commonly believed stories regarding the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the Independence Day…

This report describes a program for increasing student reading motivation through the use of cooperative learning activities, differentiating reading instruction, and active reading strategies. The students of the targeted second, fourth, sixth and eighth grade classes exhibited a reluctance to read that interfered with academic growth. Probable…

This book for beginning readers tells the story of five South Africans who, though not very famous, all did things that no black South African had ever done before. They include: Simon Mkhize who, year after year, ran the Comrades Marathon unofficially, ignoring its racial bans; Magema M. Fuze, who was the first black South African to publish a…

This study describes a program designed to improve reading achievement. The targeted population consisted of primary and middle school students in two communities in northern Illinois. Both communities were suburbs of a major metropolitan area and the status of family incomes ranged from low to middle levels. Evidence for the existence of the…

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study aims to guarantee that all students have equal access to education. This revised North Carolina Standard Course of Study for English Language Arts is intended as a flexible guide to instruction, emphasizing what students should know and be able to do as they progress through various levels of…

Based on the premise that by engaging parents as effective partners, teachers and students win at the reading game, this book aims to help teachers tap into all the resources of school and home to maximize children's learning potential. The book provides teachers with a concrete framework for training parents to learn strategic techniques in…

This report describes a program for advancing at-risk students' reading comprehension, which was adversely affecting their academic progress. The targeted population consisted of elementary students in a middle class community located near a large midwestern city. The problem with reading comprehension was documented through teaching referrals,…

This practicum was designed to use directed reading thinking activity strategies to teach reading comprehension skills to middle grades language arts students who frequently failed to make passing scores in reading comprehension exercises. The program included three specific strategies. The first strategy was to teach the students higher-order…