Developing a community of people interested in improving student reading achievement is an ongoing trend in education. Time and effort need to be put forth to become engaged in studying and promoting reading achievement. With high stakes state-mandated testing, it becomes even more important for teachers, school administrators, and the lay public…

The principal of the school needs to be highly knowledgeable of how reading should be taught. He/she must know the different psychologies and philosophies of reading instruction. Word recognition techniques and diverse comprehension skills should also be in the repertoire of the school principal. The principal must work in the direction of helping…

Much debate centers on motivating student in reading achievement. Should students feel motivated from within (intrinsic motivation), or is it better to have extrinsic motivation whereby external stimuli are used to help learners achieve optimally in reading? This paper aims to analyze the two points of view about motivating students in reading…

Mentors need to be carefully selected to assist new teachers in making a successful transition from student teaching to being fully licensed and certified to teach in the regular classroom. During the school year, the mentor may help the new teacher in a variety of ways--one is to build confidence in the new teacher for teaching and another is to…

Presently, reading is much discussed by senators, representatives, and state legislatures--the debate is on the following issues in reading instruction: (1) having all students in public school achieve at grade level as a reading minimum; (2) accountability of teachers for student achievement; (3) teachers having high achievement expectations from…

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…

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…

Summative evaluation of student achievement in reading emphasizes determining learner progress at the end of a unit of study, end of course, or end of the school year. Generally, state mandated tests stress an end of the school year percentile which is to indicate the present state of learner achievement. This paper discusses and analyzes…

Whichever of the numerous ways of grouping pupils for instruction the teacher uses, pupils should benefit as much as possible from reading instruction. Team teaching stresses large, small, and individual methods of grouping for instructional purposes. No more than 20 pupils should be taught at a single time in large group instruction. Flexibility…

The middle school reading/literature instructor needs to determine where each student is in reading achievement and then assist each to achieve as optimally as possible. What might the teacher do to assist students to become good middle school readers? A major problem of middle schoolers is to be able to recognize a certain percent of words…

Middle school students should be involved in seeking and selecting reading materials that ensure the attention of the learner. A wide variety of topics for learners to select from in choosing sequential trade books is a must. Sequential books selected by the middle school student should harmonize with his/her present level of achievement in…

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…

A compendium of reading instructional practices from approximately 1950 through 1970, this compilation of essays supplies a theoretical background of the reading discipline for elementary and secondary school reading instructors. The five articles deal with different aspects of the reading curriculum. "The Basics in the Reading Curriculum"…