Promoting self-determined learning through student-directed learning strategies has been documented to promote more positive school-related outcomes for upper elementary grade learners with disabilities and other students who are struggling. These strategies are typically introduced in multicomponent interventions combining several…

"Using Comic Art to Improve Speaking, Reading and Writing" uses children's interest in pictures, comics and graphic novels as a way of developing their creative writing abilities, reading skills and oracy. The book's underpinning strategy is the use of comic art images as a visual analogue to help children generate, organise and refine their ideas…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reveals that 37 percent of U.S. fourth graders fail to achieve basic levels of reading achievement. In 1997, the U.S. Congress asked that a review of research be conducted to determine what could be done to improve reading and writing achievement. The resulting "Report of the National Reading…

The authors--a second grade classroom teacher and a university professor of education--decided to collaborate. Melanie wanted to find out if she could help her students increase their reading and writing comprehension by presenting a sequence of events in an activity (for example, the steps in building a house) and then have the students write the…

Discusses the literacy progress of an 11-year-old boy with deafness who had reading difficulties. Strategies teachers can use in the classroom are described, including using a variety of books, encouraging writing or dictating storybooks, keeping a file box of word cards, checking students' spelling, and using finger spelling. (CR)

Intended to provide teachers with a variety of holistic activities to promote thinking skills and the synthesis of skills while also raising scores on the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimal Skills (TEAMS), this booklet focuses on activities which teachers can implement immediately. The publication contains major sections for each of the…

Fourth grade is an important year for literacy learning. Having left the primary grades behind, students must grapple with more demanding texts and content material. Effective, motivating instruction can help them succeed. This book helps teachers create an energized and organized learning environment in which all students can improve their…

The expressive reading journal aims to break through student passivity by asking students to write extensively and expressively about what they read, each time they read, and to make discoveries and take possession of what they read. This type of journal in the academic course depends for its usefulness on the nature of expressive language, the…

Art appreciation activities can reinforce hearing impaired students' reading, writing, and reasoning skills. Three such activities involving the works of Grandma Moses are (1) reading and researching about art and artists; (2) attending an artist's exhibition; and (3) attempting to paint like a chosen artist. (CB)

Bringing together information elementary school teachers need to make balanced literacy instruction a reality, this book presents more than 90 short articles designed to be read in a brief period of time and suitable for use in after-school workshops. It presents ideas and instructional approaches teachers have found most valuable and effective in…

Dialogue journals, in which students write messages to the classroom teacher and then read the teacher's responses, help deaf and hearing-impaired students build and improve their writing and reading skills. Teachers should use natural, conversational language, let students introduce topics, and share their personal feelings and experiences to…

Discusses objectives that can be accomplished through the study of proverbs. Suggests a number of exercises involving proverbs that can be used to improve reading comprehension and hone writing skills and to develop a vocabulary. (RBW)

Retaining the feature from earlier editions that student comprehension is assessed through the writing of summaries rather than from objective test questions, this book, a combination text and anthology, is designed to improve students' reading and writing skills. New features for the third edition of this book include a new chapter on studying…

Describes a reading technique for college writing and a method of teaching word structue. (HOD)

This framework for teaching sets out teaching objectives for Reception to Year 6 to enable pupils to become fully literate. It also gives guidance on the Literacy Hour in which this teaching will take place. The document is a reference point for day-to-day teaching, and help for headteachers and governors of schools in England as they plan and…