Second in a series based on classroom observations, this article recounts missed or misused opportunities for phonics instruction and suggests remedies. (RB)

This report provides an informal discussion of observations conducted in twenty-three classrooms in six schools. Observations focused on instruction in reading comprehension in grades three through six. The report also comments on comprehension instruction, on the teaching of word meanings, phonics instruction, and on the presence of extra…

This volume, a revision of "Phonics and the Teaching of Reading," is designed to offer practical help to teachers, especially in the area of phonics. Attention is given to the influence that linguistics has had on reading over the last decade and to those features of linguistics that have affected phonics methodology and instructional materials.…

This book is designed to provide teachers with the information necessary to help their students to cope successfully and independently with unfamiliar words. Three sources of aid in word identification are discussed, to provide a balance to the current overemphasis on phonics decoding as the only way for children to identify words. The three areas…

Based on the premise that schools apparently fail to match reading instruction to children's needs, this study was conducted to learn about the process of changing teacher behavior in such a way that a match exists between what is taught and who is being taught. Year-long observation of one kindergarten program that was supplemented with attempts…

A study examined the ability of third, fourth, and sixth grade students to use spellings to arrive at the pronunciations of unknown words. A test of 29 pseudo words was developed. Pseudo words were chosen because they eliminate familiarity with a word in its spoken form and contextual cues as sources of help in decoding. At the start of the test,…

A study investigated what is done with reading in kindergarten, specifically: (1) what is done and for what amount of time to prepare kindergartners for reading and to teach them to read; (2) what accounts for what is or is not done; and (3) how differences in children's abilities affect what is or is not done. Forty-two kindergarten classes from…

This book provides specific, practical suggestions for the classroom teacher, covering the whole of the elementary school reading program. Chapters include "Teaching Reading,""Instructional Materials,""Organizing for Instruction,""Oral and Silent Reading,""Readiness for Reading,""Preschool Reading,""Reading in the Kindergarten,""Whole Word…

Describes how in the 1960s and 1970s critics of the schools as well as the transitory interests of the schools themselves were the greatest forces for change in basal reader programs. Discusses how current demand for high test scores has influenced those who prepare basal material. (Author/NH)

A study examined th phonics instruction that five basal reader series provide from kindergarten through grade six. The five basal programs (designated as Series A through E) that were examined are both similar and dissimilar in the recommendations they make for phonics. One series covers as many as 129 letter-sound correspondences; another covers…

Academic testing observed in a year-long study of kindergarten classes in 15 districts was primarily concerned with whether children were succeeding with the content of a basal reader readiness workbook that essentially dealt with phonics. Such success was viewed as a prerequisite for the first preprimer in the basal series, the use of which…

Intended for teachers and prospective teachers, the purpose of this book is to provide information about reading instruction from kindergarten through the elementary grades. Part 1 deals with "Background Information" and includes chapters on: (1) The Reading Process; (2) Silent or Oral Reading? and (3) Reading Instruction. Part 2 discusses…