This topical bibliography and commentary provides an overview of current thinking on the role of phonics in reading instruction. It discusses the value of phonics, phonics and phonemic awareness, the need for explicit instruction, principles in phonics instruction, and recommended instructional procedures. It concludes that findings from research…

Provides 11 annotations from the ERIC database of recent reports and conference papers that address the relationship of phonics to beginning reading. (MG)

The purpose of this digest is to review various interpretations of balanced reading instruction and to explore the relationship between this instructional approach to beginning reading and state reading standards. Sections of the digest address what balanced reading is, offer examples from classroom practice, and discuss reading instruction and…

Draws on selected ERIC resources to suggest dominant features of two approaches to beginning reading: systematic phonics and whole language learning. (HOD)

During the 1970s direct phonics instruction was the preferred method of reading instruction. In the 1980s the whole language concept caught on and phonics instruction was considered defunct. In the 1990s the pendulum, in the process of swinging back, was intercepted before it went to the extreme of "all phonics," by a balanced approach…

This Topical Bibliography and Commentary examines recent studies on phonological awareness, finding the evidence conclusive that teaching phonological awareness to young children greatly facilitates the reading process. Researchers have studied problems children experience in reading for many years. The focus of research during the 1990s has been…

This issue focuses on the developmental path that children typically take when learning to read. The purpose is to help parents take steps to ensure that their children will make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn by the end of third grade. An introductory section includes two articles: "Parents, Children, and…

Presents the opposing viewpoints on grammar study, phonics and whole language instruction, and the role of information in English language arts. (SRT)

A child's success in learning to read in the first grade appears to be the best predictor of his or her ultimate success in schooling as well as all of the events and outcomes that correlate with that. Yet, across the research literature reviewed for a recent book, "Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning about Print," children's…

This digest summarizes ways to help young American Indian and Alaska Native children become fluent readers. There are numerous reading intervention programs, each with its own set of claims and counter-claims. Phonics approaches are designed for standard English speakers, and students with limited English abilities end up parroting what they read…

This guide shows parents how to combine story reading, phonics, and writing to help their children develop into skilled and motivated readers. The guide discusses how to prepare children for reading success; how to use children's literature to promote learning and enjoyment; why combining book experiences and phonics is better than using either…