An ex post facto study examined third grade students' achievement test scores both before and after the adoption of a literature-based basal reading text. The experimental groups consisted of five third grade classes at Terre Town Elementary School (Indiana) for each of the years 1988 through 1993. Mean scores were plotted and data were visually…

Numerous variables enter in when teachers plan and implement the reading curriculum. Classroom climate has much to do with who will succeed in reading. The classroom needs to have a variety of reading materials. Each student should then be able to locate materials on his or her interest level as well as locate subject matter that is personally…

The records of 27 sixth-grade students who were receiving special services were studied. A survey was conducted in three separate elementary schools to see if these same students were recipients of Basic Skill Instruction during the second grade. The data collection form included information about current reading grade levels and types of special…

A study described and evaluated the Early Literacy Learning Initiative (ELLI), a collaborative effort between individual schools and school districts and the Ohio State University. The overall goal of ELLI is to significantly raise the level of literacy achievement of kindergarten, first, and second grade students by implementing instructional…

A study described and evaluated the Literacy Collaborative, a collaborative effort between individual schools and school districts and the Ohio State University. The overall goal of the Literacy Collaborative is to significantly raise the level of literacy achievement of kindergarten, first, and second grade students by implementing instructional…

This report describes the Literacy Collaborative, which provides long-term professional development and support for teachers who are helping children learn effective literacy skills. The overall goal is to significantly raise the level of literacy achievement for children across the elementary years. The first two sections of the report describe…

Kindergarten stresses the readiness factor for learning. This paper first lists 10 things which kindergarten students have experienced in developing readiness for first grade. The paper then discusses 10 things that teachers can do to approach teaching reading in the kindergarten classroom. Finally, it considers additional assistance to aid…

This paper discusses how to group students for reading instruction. The paper first considers the reasons for heterogeneous grouping, where there are mixed levels of reading achievement among the students in the classroom. It then discusses some weaknesses in advocating heterogeneous grouping. There are individualized plans for reading instruction…

The focus of this study was on the use of drama supplements to increase the reading fluency of first grade students in a suburban school. The subjects of this study were first grade students. They were between six and eight years old and attended a suburban school in Knoxville, Tennessee. The class contained eight girls and twelve boys. Students…

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, selected a nationally representative sample of kindergartners in the fall of 1998 and is following these children through the end of fifth grade. This report details findings from…

This booklet, in a "flipchart" format, provides a ready resource of selected core terms and their definitions from "The Literacy Dictionary: The Vocabulary of Reading and Writing" that bear upon reading and writing instruction. Some entries in the booklet also refer to related terms that can be further examined in "The Literacy Dictionary." The 41…

A pre-post combined experimental and quasi-experimental study determined if the effects of former successful applications of Accelerated Learning (AL), memory, and cognitive skills interactive media training could be replicated in multiple classrooms. The 10-week experimental application (40 minutes daily, Monday through Friday) of training…

Investigating what 11 eminent literacy scholars with diverse philosophies could agree to regarding contexts and practices for teaching reading, this book presents comprehensive analyses of these findings, dubbed the "Expert Study," and their implications. It includes a reprint of the 1998 article "Points of Agreement: A Display of…

Three earlier published reports (Erland, 1999c, 1999d, 1998) of a two school (Schools 1 & 2), 14 classroom, grades 4-8 study, reported large gains evidenced by the Brain-Based-Accelerated Learning (AL) application of The Bridge To Achievement (BTA). Eleven BTA/AL experimental groups were compared with two control groups from School 2 having an…

Student scores on state mandated tests, to be given annually in grades 3 through 8 and in grade 10, place reading instruction at the apex of the school curriculum. These standards are inherent in No Child Left Behind, a revision of the federally funded Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Students are to be able to read on the third…