Discusses briefly 6 professional books that discuss and illustrate skill instruction within a balanced approach to reading. Intends to help teachers think through and justify the professional decisions they make to support every student's development toward becoming a lifelong reader. (SR)

Discusses materials that help primary-grade students develop a richer supply of words: books, audiotapes, and magnetic poetry kits for teachers and/or for students. (SR)

Discusses the selection criteria of reinforcement in phonics materials. Reports on a search for phonics materials which met the criteria of having an appropriate amount of reinforcement, high transfer potential, and high content validity. Finds that "Signals Video Learning Series" is a satisfactory phonics program. (MG)

Features critiques from 10 literacy educators on the book "Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print" and a response from the author, Marilyn Jager Adams. (MG)

"Phonics with Feeling" is a teacher-written phonics-based literature series promoting student self esteem and self expression. The 4- to 6-week project has been used with first and second grade students for 2 years. "Phonics with Feeling" is a series of four books, each reinforcing a specific phonetic skill while integrating…

Targeted to a wide audience, this book is a highly readable, nontechnical work without sacrificing the informative value offered by the relevant empirical research. The book is organized into three sections that discuss why it's difficult to learn to read; existing scientific evidence in reading research; and practical solutions, based on the…

This critical review of "Becoming a Nation of Readers" states that the Commission on Reading report contains sensible and practical recommendations, though it is not wholly representative of all the available research on reading and it contains occasional insensitivities to the potential problems within its recommendations. The first…