Responds to a previous study which suggested that college professors who teach preservice reading courses cannot agree on what should be taught. (See EJ 129 240) (RB)

This book teaches that U.S. geography includes both natural and human-made landmarks, and that all 50 states and all major landmarks can be found on maps. The suggested grade range is K-3; the guided reading level is L; and the Windows on Literacy stage is fluent (levels 13-18).

The "Book Buddies" manual and "Emergent Reader" training videos provide comprehensive and easy-to-implement guidelines for setting up and running a successful tutorial program in the early grades. Portraying the "Book Buddies" model in practice, this 44-minute videotape, entitled "Emergent Reader--Mid-Year"…

This report describes a process for increasing primary students' reading comprehension skills through the use of a guided reading program. The targeted population consisted of primary students in a northwest suburban area of a large city in the Midwest. The problems of poor reading comprehension scores were documented through the use of the…

This publication tells the stories of eight schools from around the nation that have used the Open Court Reading program, describing the history of the schools, the challenges they faced, and their attempts to meet those challenges. The schools are located in California, Florida, Texas, and New York. Each of the school stories includes a focus on…

Teachers need to be able to ask quality questions in the teaching of reading--questions to assess student comprehension and to clarify content, questions to enable learners to engage in higher levels of cognition such as creative and critical thinking, questions to help students engage in meaningful reading experiences and become lifelong…

Educational reforms are advocated based on rationales that emerge from the research literature. However, evaluation studies seldom examine whether the rationales used to argue for a reform actually hold up when empirical evidence is examined after the reform has been implemented. This paper examines survey data from 3 years of analyses of early…

First published in 1934 and updated in 1965 and 1986, Nila Banton Smith's "American Reading Instruction" has provided insight and historical perspective to reading instruction in the United States beginning with the colonial era. This "Special Edition" addresses such areas as theories and practical applications; established and…

This paper examines the most damaging myths and misconceptions about reading instruction. The paper begins with what it considers the "most pernicious myth currently influencing reading instruction"--Learning to read is a natural process. Following this "Myth #1" are these myths: (2) Children will eventually learn to read if…

To assess early literacy development in Renaissance classrooms nationwide, the 2000 Early Literacy Survey was mailed to a sample of 411 randomly selected Renaissance Model and Master pre-K-3 educators. This population of teachers was chosen for the study because they have systematically certified that their implementation of Reading Renaissance is…

Until recently, computer technology has been used as a glorified worksheet, word processor, and CD-ROM interactive reader. Now, technology can move well beyond these basic functions into improving literacy skills and strategies, problem solving, and communication. This paper addresses methods in which a balanced literacy program, wherein the…

This pamphlet describes the Texas Reading Initiative, a comprehensive plan aimed at improving reading instruction in Texas and begun after a challenge was issued by Governor George W. Bush that each and every child must learn to read. It lists the 8 key elements that were established to guide the initiative (including increasing awareness of…

Why does one classroom hum with productivity and enthusiasm and the one next door sag under the weight of the work? To understand the invisible forces within a classroom of busy children, people must look beneath the surface to the relationships that shape behavior and determine daily patterns of teaching and learning. This book focuses on the web…

The National Education Association (NEA) is committed to high achievement for all students and recognizes that the United States has far too many students who read but do not read well enough to meet the high standards set for students or to function in the world. Debates about the best way to teach reading are not new, but the intense…