This study investigated the student-student interactions, attitudes toward reading and engagement during literacy events in a second grade classroom. The literacy environment and the teacher's conceptualization of her role as a reading instructor were also part of this investigation. Five second grade struggling readers and their teacher,…

The most effective way to understand what a child knows about the reading process is to take a running record. In "Running Records", Mary Shea demonstrates how teachers can use this powerful tool to design lessons that decrease reading difficulties, build on strengths, and stimulate motivation, ensuring that children develop self-sustaining…

The purpose of this article is to describe how teachers can foster strategic reading processes in their early literacy classrooms, and how to incorporate a Strategy Perception Interview to assist in documenting students' use and perceptions of these strategies. Descriptions of classroom instruction incorporating literacy strategies and…

This paper reports the findings of study into children's self-perceptions of reading, with a particular emphasis on the perceived use of reading scheme material. Using a collective case study approach, two cohorts of children (six in Nursery and six in Reception) were followed over the course of one academic year. This study employed a range of…

The purpose of this mixed research design study was to examine how teachers in a large urban Midwestern district used Thinking Maps® with students in elementary school general education and special education classrooms. In addition, this study examined the use of Thinking Maps® with 30 urban elementary school males in two schools: one second…

This study surveyed pre-service teachers to determine their reading maturity using The Reading Maturity Survey (Thomas, 2001). Results indicate that pre-service teachers self-report high levels of confidence in their reading maturity with the exception of two areas that may relate to developing skills in critical reflection and transformational…

The present study investigated the reading attitude of struggling elementary students at risk for reading failure. Twenty-nine first-grade and 32 second-grade struggling readers were given the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990). First-grade struggling readers favored more academic reading activities while second-grade…

This article explores the reading behaviours of 10 young competent nursery and reception children, The 10 children were selected from a group of 54 case study children involved in the national Bookstart evaluation study, "Bookstart: Planting a Seed for Life" (2005). This group of young readers, from different socioeconomic groups, were…

This paper reports the first part of a 2-year longitudinal study, which examined the impact of age of entry to school on the reading development of 60 summer-born boys during Key Stage One. The sample was drawn from 18 schools in six Local Education Authorities operating different admissions policies. Thirty-one had attended nursery part-time,…

The gender issue is relevant to classroom learning in more ways than one. Increasingly in the United States, young boys are saying that school is stupid and they do not like to read. This phenomenon cuts across all demographic groups: it affects affluent white boys in the suburbs no less than it affects black boys in low-income neighborhoods. In…

The struggles of children when faced with reading books written in either a second language or unrelated matter, is described through an example of a eight year old girl, Kelly, who previously loved books but later came to dislike it. The tool ethnography is used to critically examine her behavior and struggles in reading.

Early literacy experiences play an important role in later literacy skills and school achievement. Communities offer early literacy experiences in a variety of venues to meet the diverse needs of families. The author of this article provides four vignettes illustrating community-based early literacy activities: (1) private group classes such as…