A practicum was designed to train staff to improve (over an 8-month period) the literacy and reading skills of 60 delinquent adolescent boys residing in a juvenile correction facility. Most of the boys residing at the training school had poor school histories characterized by reading achievement scores several grade levels below their peers and…

The question of whether research supports a "phonics first" approach to teaching reading is not entirely answerable by factual evidence or statistical data: the issue is partly a matter of values and opinion. The debate is over whether phonics should be taught and tested in isolation, as a prelude to reading texts (the phonics-first…

A study investigated the factors influencing the English word identification performance of Spanish-speaking beginning readers. Thirty-two Spanish-speaking students (in kindergarten and first grade) from two urban schools who were identified as beginning, nonfluent readers were administered tests of letter naming, Spanish phonemic awareness,…

A study investigated whether students instructed in the use of dialogue journals in reading classes would show a significant increase in reading comprehension as compared to students who did not use dialogue journals in reading class. Subjects, 77 seventh- and eighth-graders in an Iowa School, were assigned to either experimental or control…

A practicum addressed the high percentage of students who were experiencing difficulty with reading comprehension and vocabulary retention in a fifth-grade Drop Out Prevention class by implementing a supplemental whole-language program. Subjects were 19 fifth-grade students. An informal reading inventory, an attitude survey, and academic grades…

A practicum was developed to increase the frequency of recreational reading and improve students' attitudes towards reading. Subjects were 22 third grade students. Literacy activities incorporated included: daily recreational reading periods either with a buddy or alone, reading to children daily, incorporating children's books into content area…

A study compared the philosophies developed in undergraduate methods courses with philosophies influenced by example under a cooperating teacher in an elementary school classroom. Subjects for the first part of the study were 14 undergraduate students enrolled in a methods course. The subjects for the second part of the study were 12 students who…

This paper describes the whole language approach to literacy education in the context of teaching adults. Information is drawn from literature and from interviews with teachers and literacy students. Topics covered include the following: whole language--a framework, learning language, learning through language, learning about language, what people…

Originally developed for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on developing a decision-making plan for the reading teacher is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an overview on…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on appreciating literature is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an…

Many schools expect teachers to act as curriculum clerks, carrying out decisions about subject matter and classroom management. A promising new metaphor for professional educators is that of teacher as explorer, the leader of an expedition into unfamiliar territory. The image of explorer changes the perspective on teaching goals and roles and…

Designed to provide specific instructional suggestions for integrating basic reading and writing instruction in the elementary school, the lesson ideas presented in this booklet are applicable across grade levels and can be used with any basic reading and language arts textbook series. The 30 ideas cover a variety of areas, including the…

Basic research into the mechanisms and functions of the brain carried out in the past 25 years has provided evidence that humans do, indeed, experience two ways of knowing. More recent research has explored the nature of the apparent perceptual bias--or way of knowing--of each brain hemisphere, and this information, which has changed thinking…

Two experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses that the ability to draw inferences from a text about an unstated agent is based on the quality of information available to the reader, and that the quality of the information is itself based on the unique nature of cues embedded in the text and on the relevance of prior knowledge held by the…

Reading activities designed for parents to use with preschool through high school age children are provided in this guide. Activities for children below the junior high level predominate. Jean Piaget's child development theories are briefly outlined. Suggested reading activities, language activities, and children's books are listed for use with…