Argues that effective instruction for children with reading difficulties relies little on accurate diagnosis. Maintains that standardized reading tests can help identify children with reading problems. Asserts that children with reading difficulties would be better served by more instruction and less diagnosis. (CFR)

Describes a program that sends books home for parents to read to children in New Zealand. Reports on a study of classroom teachers and parents in 19 primary schools. Finds that, nearly all parents report participating, but there lacked a systematic communication between parents and teachers about instructional practices. (CFR)

Presents several across-the-curriculum activities for elementary teachers. Math activities include reading a book and dividing with beans. Science activities teach about caves and about the weather. A writing activity explains how to inspire students to write good stories. An art activity focuses on Chinese landscapes. (SM)

Argues that parental involvement at home in such areas as reading, listening, and watching television can complement and reinforce the learning accomplished at school. Provides steps that teachers can relate to parents for becoming involved in their children's learning process. (HTH)

This article illustrates some of the characteristics of the Chinese language from the perspective of how the language is learned by American students. The article also makes recommendations to help practitioners when teaching and designing reading and curricula for both beginning and advanced learners of Chinese. (SM)

Discusses the need for preservice teachers to be competent in teaching with advanced technologies and describes a program developed at Kentucky State University that provided an opportunity for preservice teachers to use interactive compressed video with reading classes at an elementary school. Teacher roles and student/teacher interaction are…

Discusses the evolution of programs at the Benchmark School (where, for almost 30 years, children with severe reading difficulties have learned to read). Addresses students' difficulties reading narrative text, expressing ideas in writing, content area reading, learning sight words and decoding, understanding how to learn, applying strategies…

Presents a conversation between four Latino/a researchers and professors dealing with the literacy learning and instruction of linguistically diverse students. Considers professional development and identity, representation in academe, assessment of linguistically diverse students, current movements in literacy instruction, teaching style/process…

Examines how teachers allocate instructional time in reading classes. Indicates that teachers used 34% of time in reading and responding; 24.89% in listening and discussing; 8.36% waiting; 20.28% completing skill development; 7.52% in telling, writing, and narrating; 3.47% in other activities. Notes that the recommendation that time spent reading…

Describes the successes of Writing to Read (WTR) program used with students in kindergarten and grade one as well as with two key subgroups (low-socioeconomic students and males who lag behind in reading and writing). Finds that with this program these subgroups can progress in reading and writing, and fewer students are recommended for remedial…

Describes how to use a language-processing model to develop holistic reading strategies for college-level English-as-a-Second-Language students. The paper explains how to use an English reading processor, develop a supplementary reading program, access students' background knowledge, and find methods that work, noting that this model will nurture…

Nine brief articles describe components of an intensive literacy program for students who are hearing impaired: reading to children, dialog journals, shared reading and writing, creative writing, independent reading, guided reading and writing, journals and logs in science, language experience, and reading for research. (DB)

Compared students' acquisition and use of reading strategies and reading attitudes in skills-based and whole-language settings. Participants were low-income first graders. Students completed a common reading task. Researchers coded literacy strategies for self-correction and substitutions and conducted classroom observations. Children in the…

"Decodable text" devotees say phonics is scientifically superior to the whole-language approach, which supposedly lacks research validation. However, 60 years of research supports holistic, literature-based approaches to literacy. Whole-language instruction is further validated by research on independent reading, cooperative learning, Reading…

Considers how collaborative classroom research among a group of elementary and middle school teachers provides insight into the effective use of the Three Level Guide, a tool for interacting with specific text or information while teaching students how to interact or construct understanding on three different cognitive levels: literal,…