While acknowledging the undeniable differences between a shallow, transparent orthography like that of Spanish and a deep, asymmetrical spelling system such as is found in English, this article asserts that there are also marked similarities between them. Both orthographic systems violate the universal phonemic principle in exactly the same three…

This study examined a critical learning outcome of behavioral fluency, "application." Application refers to the combination of two or more behaviors that form a composite or compound behavior. Three students with specific learning disabilities in reading learned two behaviors, how to write a set of letter sounds they heard and orally segment words…

In this technical report, the authors describe the development and piloting of reading comprehension measures as part of a comprehensive progress monitoring literacy assessment system developed in 2006 for use with students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. They begin with a brief overview of the two conceptual frameworks underlying the…

Vocabulary learning is central to reading ability and academic achievement. Vocabulary researchers and educators have viewed its essence as a process of associating the pronunciations and meanings of words in memory, and they have paid little attention to the contribution that spellings might make to vocabulary learning. We review theory and…

The Report of the National Reading Panel (2000) explains that phonemic awareness instruction and phonics instruction are highly beneficial for students learning to read. In the updated second edition, Edmund V. Starrett provides educators with guidance on teaching phonics as part of a well-planned reading program. This reference book presents the…

In this study, utterances of prepubertal children. were examined for the purpose of limiting and isolating linguistic factors which may be important for aural perception of sex. The subjects were 43 third grade children, 21 boys and 22 girls, who ranged in age from eight years, four months, to nine years. Each of the children produced 19 types of…

Background: Recent research has shown that phonological awareness therapy can improve speech production in children with expressive phonological disorders. This approach may be appealing to clinicians as the therapy may also benefit the children's general phonological abilities and lead to gains in their literacy skills. Aims: To examine the…

This study investigated the relationships between phonological awareness and reading in Oriya and English. Oriya is the official language of Orissa, an eastern state of India. The writing system is an alphasyllabary. Ninety-nine fifth grade children (mean age 9 years 7 months) were assessed on measures of phonological awareness, word reading and…

The purpose of this article is to present an integrated alphabetic approach that "simultaneously" teaches letter sounds and formations. We share with you the research that supports this integrated approach and present the procedures to implement this approach. Further, we document the effect of using this new integrated alphabet approach on the…

First-grade children's reading, writing, and spelling competencies in 2 different instructional contexts for teaching phonics were examined. Reading, writing, and spelling abilities were measured at the beginning, middle, and end of 1st grade. Children were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments designed to teach grapheme-phoneme correspondences,…

Young children today are exposed to technology at a much younger age than they were five to 10 years ago, and technology is now an important component of literacy. To be able to function in the world today, children need to learn how to read beyond a paperbound book. In this article, the author highlights Web sites that provide unique…

Background: A previous study (Stuart, 1999) showed that early phoneme awareness and phonics teaching improved reading and spelling ability in inner-city schoolchildren in Key Stage 1, most of whom were learning English as a second language. Aims: The present study, a follow-up of these children at the end of Key Stage 1, addresses four main…

Although research has established that phonological awareness is a predictor of future reading skill, the effects of variant vs. contiguous presentations of grapheme-phoneme correspondences as part of a teaching program have not been examined. A variant presentation is one in which there is a mismatch between the letter and sound or sound and…

A model service learning course for elementary teaching credential candidates is described. Preservice teachers taking a required university reading methods course studied scientifically-based reading instruction and volunteered in Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms during reading instruction time. Service learning experiences were…

Two studies--one quasi-experimental and one randomized experiment--were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of supplemental instruction in structural analysis and oral reading practice for second- and third-grade students with below-average word reading skills. Individual instruction was provided by trained paraeducators in single- and…