Oral language is a cognitive tool used to construct meaning, internalize the language used in print, and regulate thought and activity. A classroom rich in talk supports children's language and literacy development. Talk clears up confusion and serves to share interests and ideas. Kalmar describes the value of talking and listening, their…

The Picture It! reading strategy uses the elements of story grammar and visualization in a mnemonic format to enhance comprehension, aid vocabulary development, visually establish story sequence, and stimulate discussion of both the big picture of the story's meaning and the details which support the author's message. It is a strategy that can be…

The increased focus on reading strategies has had a number of unintended consequences, including the creation of strategy worksheets and isolated strategy instruction. We explore these unintended consequences and provide examples of how middle school teachers can engage students in authentic reading comprehension instruction that results in…

This article poses the question of how educators can put into practice the valorization of the vernacular and its use as a pedagogical resource. It provides a critical sociolinguistic orientation toward the use of Spanglish in schools. It gives a short descriptive overview of the linguistic features of Spanglish and responds to some of the…

Several decades of research have established the critical role of phonemic awareness in the development of beginning reading. In particular, phonemic awareness makes early phonics instruction useful for children and facilitates their ability to blend letter sounds while decoding words, to learn sight words reliably, and to spell phonetically. A…

Do early intervention literacy programs promote long-lasting gains for students in middle school and beyond? By middle school, student performance and achievement in all content areas hinges on demonstrated reading and writing skills. In light of this, early intervention to promote the development of literacy skills is critical. As an early…

Readers, texts, and readings can take unpredictable and seemingly tangential detours that educators might find undesirable and difficult to control. Readers can stray far from the text to seek out desired meanings. In the same way, media outlets can reappropriate favorite literary fictions in ways that can perturb educators and readers alike.…

Children who begin school with less knowledge in letter knowledge, phonological sensitivity, familiarity with rudiments of reading, and language ability are likely to have more difficulty learning to read. Additionally, parent involvement has been directly linked with reading achievement. All of the sixty-seven four- and five-year-old children…

This qualitative study examined middle grades preservice language arts teachers' perceptions of young adult literature through the lenses of reader response, new literacy, and activity theory. Undergraduate preservice teachers used synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) to respond online to three young adult books with…

The primary objective of this study is to describe how reading programs are implemented in Reading First schools and in a group of schools serving similar populations of students. The surveys collected detailed information about reading programs from nationally representative samples of schools to illustrate how this billion dollar a year program…

The No Child Let Behind Act of 2001 created the Reading First program to help ensure that all students could read at or above grade level by the end of grade 3. The program promotes practices recommended by the National Reading Panel for early reading instruction, highlighting five essential components of reading instruction. The program invested…

Elementary teachers of reading have one essential goal--to prepare diverse children to be independent, strategic readers in real life. This innovative text helps preservice and inservice teachers achieve this goal by providing knowledge and research-based strategies for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, all aspects of…

After-school programs receive federal support through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, established in 1999. A primary purpose of the program is to provide opportunities for academic enrichment to help students meet state and local standards in core content areas. Findings from a previous national evaluation of the program indicate that…

The problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the Irlen[R] method's use of colored overlays on the reading achievement of 3rd-grade students who were identified as having Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome/Irlen[R] Syndrome. Method. This was a true experimental, pre-test, post-test design. The Irlen[R] overlay, either present…

Teachers are now being held to high accountability standards in reading instruction, yet studies show that teachers lack adequate knowledge in reading and phonological awareness principles (Moats, 1994, 2009; Spencer, Schuele, Guillot, & Lee, 2008). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of visual representations of…