Some techniques or strategies and principles of organization can make the teacher's task of modifying or writing curriculum materials easier. This monograph provides a step-by-step guide for writing curriculum materials, whether approaching the problem from scratch or modifying that which already exists. Chapter 1 provides the rationale, and…

Proposing that teachers can help children learn more effectively by promoting metacognition and the acquisition of problem solving strategies, this report describes research studying the effectiveness of the experimental curriculum, Informed Strategies for Learning (ISL), in increasing third and fifth grade students' reading comprehension skills.…

Teachers must continuously appraise student progress in reading achievement. Techniques to facilitate this appraisal include (1) teacher observation, (2) checklists, (3) teacher written tests, (4) criterion referenced tests, (5) standardized tests, (6) rating scales, (7) anecdotal records, and (8) conferences. Once a comprehensive program of…

Developed for the Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville, Florida), this manual gives elementary school teachers information on instructional program procedures. Section one is about the reading program and deals with placement procedures and criteria for kindergarten and first grade students, initial placement procedures for grades two-six,…

Beginning with the 1985-86 school year, the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) tests have been based on the objectives provided in this publication for teachers and test development specialists. Reading skills objectives for grade 7 include the ability to: (1) identify the main idea; (2) use context to understand the meaning of…

Reading and mathematics objectives measured by the eighth grade tests of the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Tests are described. This guide was designed to familiarize the teacher with assessment characteristics for each objective. Objectives in concept identification, component operations, and problem solving are defined for mathematics. All…

This inservice professional development module, part of the Alabama Reading Initiative, presents research summaries, notes for presenters, and activities. The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics module clarifies that skilled readers are accurate and automatic decoders (i.e., they have the alphabetic principle). Phonics instruction must empower all…

For all educators who are working to improve reading achievement, this handbook provides clear instructional approaches for successfully building students' vocabulary knowledge--knowledge essential for strong reading comprehension. With teacher-friendly sample lesson models, this book can be used to boost vocabulary instruction in any reading…

The development of the Alberta Diagnostic Reading Program (ADRP) was based on a current psycholinguistic theory that describes reading as a process in which the reader uses background information to communicate with the author. To ensure its usefulness and effectiveness, the developers of the ADRP sought the advice and direct involvement of many…

To determine if integrating course content with reading study skills would (1) increase student learning of course content and (2) improve students' general reading achievement, one section of a reading education course for preservice teachers was taught reading study skills along with course content; two sections were given no classroom…

Noting recent research showing the considerable benefit in having carefully structured systems for parental involvement in reading, this book presents a review of past and current successful practices in this field. The chapters in the first part of the book discuss the context of international trends in parents' involvement in their children's…

A study was conducted to assess the effect of contrasting mastery learning procedures on the reading achievement of high and low ability students. Subjects were 48 high and 40 low ability first grade students randomly assigned to either a typical commercial basal reading series mastery treatment or an alternative mastery learning treatment that…

Correlations of home and school environment variables with the educational performance of 392 seven- and ten-year-old students in Northern Ireland were studied in 1970. Home influences of parent behavior, home literacy, and educational ambition were more important predictors of intelligence and reading/math attainment than were school and…

This inservice professional development module, part of the Alabama Reading Initiative, presents research summaries, notes for presenters, and activities. The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics module clarifies that skilled readers are accurate and automatic decoders (i.e., they have the alphabetic principle). Phonics instruction must empower all…

For use by K-12 teachers or specialists, this book presents an informal classroom tool for assessing reading processes which is rooted in contemporary research and practice. The book features separate assessments for narrative and expository retelling, portfolio checklists to help analyze results, modeled "think-alouds," and an annotated…