Examines whether the use of basal reading programs results in the deskilling of teachers. Provides background information and states the deskilling argument. Scrutinizes the argument by posing four questions. Concludes that the simple cause/effect relationship suggested by the deskilling argument fails to credit teachers with the intelligence and…

Reviews the assessment systems which accompany three of the most recently published and widely used basal reading programs. Examines the materials designed for the second half of second grade and for fifth grade. (PRA)

Outlines the history of teaching manuals regarding lesson plans, vocabulary, teacher directions, primers, preprimers, prereaders, selections, supplementary materials, and multiethnic concerns. States that, although no manual can take the place of a well-prepared teacher, most provide suggestions and supplementary materials which can be valuable to…

Explores how teachers of differing philosophical orientations toward reading react to the implementation of a literature-based basal series. Finds evidence for a relationship between a teacher's theoretical orientation toward reading and the implementation of a new basal series. States that despite differences between the old and new basal sets,…

In this study, two groups of second graders participated in Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (FORI) but their repeated reading experiences used different kinds of texts. One group--the Literature group--read texts from the district's literature-based, basal reading program. The second group--the Content group--read from a set of science and…

This study examined the effects of individualized, integrated language arts as a reading approach on struggling readers' comprehension scores obtained from oral narrative, silent narrative, and silent expository passages at three levels: below-grade, on-grade, and above-grade levels. Students (N = 93) in grades four through eight, who were reading…

A brief history and futuristic projection of children's readers. (Author)

This study examined whether post-reading comprehension would be affected by the inclusion of pictorial material with a story and a prereading prediction questionnaire. Subjects, 75 heterogeneously grouped fourth grade students randomly assigned to one of three groups, either (1) read a basal reader passage with pictorial material; or (2) read the…

An examination of basal readers shows that the world portrayed in them is unrealistic, boring, and one that misrepresents and underrepresents women and minorities. (IRT)

A method for teaching sight words to elementary level learning disabled children is proposed which relies on input organization, a strategy in which teachers reorganize information into small, related units for instruction. Also included are sample word categories, results of the method's use, and recommendations for use. (DB)

Reports on a study that examined children's understanding of written direct and indirect speech by testing reading comprehension of two passages using cloze tests and referent location tests. Found that children have difficulty in interpreting written direct speech, especially when it contains a variety of pronouns. (ARH)

The author offers suggestions for adapting basal reading series to the needs of students. Among recommendations offered are using workbook pages selectively, changing presentation orders, making one's own worksheets, and increasing the students' actual reading time. (CL)

Presents a brief outline ofthe evolution of the basal reader and notes the predominant role it p plays in today's reading instruction. Comments on the impact reading research has had and is likely to have on the basal reading program in the future. Includes a pro-reaction and a con-reaction paper. Bibliography

Presents a study whose results show that the writing of children contains features of their reading texts. (JL)

Offers guidelines for evaluating basal reading series when two series are to be adopted. (HTH)