Language teachers are only now beginning to realize that reading can help improve students' skills in listening and speaking. Three methods of teaching reading which can be combined and are particularly suited for foreign students are the Linguistic method, the Language Experience method and the Individualized Reading Approach. (CFM)

Argues that when reading is taught as a communication skill and as a further extension of language, the teacher should be concerned with helping the student to link up and become involved with the author's message. A child should be encouraged to search for the meaning of what he reads when he begins to learn to read. (Author/JM)

Argues that the influence of dialect on the language of West Indian children may be much stronger than has been assumed. (Editor/RK)

Contends that second-language reading comprehension should be investigated using adult bilingual readers reading authentic materials in their first and second languages and should focus on the process rather than the product. Examines reading strategies of eight Chinese graduate students at a Canadian university. Suggests that students used the…

Focuses on English word-stress, a feature essential for effective communication. Discusses the difficulty in assigning this phonological aspect and the effect of its misplacement on comprehension. Shows how English word-stress differs from that of Arabic and emphasizes the need to teach word-stress during pronunciation instruction. (36 references)…

Examines whether an approach to teaching Logo programming that directly guides college students in use of cognitive monitoring skills and the transfer of those skills leads to increased cognitive monitoring and problem-solving skills. Demonstrates that guided instruction led to increased comprehension monitoring and contributed to the development…

Data were collected from 540 fifth-grade students on problem solving, justification, and explanation of fractions. Fewer than 10% performed adequately on the explanation task. Students who received a seven-day instructional program on fractions in measurement contexts performed better than students receiving traditional part-whole instruction.…

Compares the acquisition of vocabulary by Dutch advanced students of French reading a French story in one of three text reading conditions: marginal glosses; dictionary; or control. Results indicate that frequency of word occurrence fosters incidental vocabulary learning more when the first two conditions exist. (40 references) (Author/CK)

Supports the return of folktales to school curriculum. Provides a list of suggested activities as well as a dozen popular national and international folktale books for use in the middle grades. Claims that folktales can be used to master content-rich material in the middle grades and allow students to explore relationships with their own culture…

Presents sample questions for use as a guide for teachers to question students about literature and to model effective questioning techniques for them. Details topics, including literary characteristics; setting; vocabulary; general questions; characters; author; plot, theme, mood, and moral; and illustrations-pictures. (KDFB)

This study examined middle school students' reported awareness of strategic approaches they used when they had difficulty reading science text. Student responses indicated that they used text and social context to resolve comprehension difficulties but that they were largely unaware of the use of prior knowledge for the same purpose. (SM)

Reviews the history of the portrayal of play in art and literature, and presents classical and contemporary theories of play and its use in early childhood education. Modern theories suggest that play can help children deal with their emotions and understand the physical and social world. (SLD)

Argues that "information structure management" is an important and problematic part of the competence sought by nonnative speakers, particularly for goal-related discourse types where clarity and argumentative power play a role. Simulated negotiation material is used to demonstrate how certain nonnative structures hamper the…

Examines the effects of Urdu, a phonologically transparent orthography with regular letter-sound correspondences, on the development of reading in English. Finds that children with high levels of vocabulary knowledge and phonological awareness in Urdu were more likely to do well with English reading tasks as opposed to visual memory tasks. (CMK)