The author is responsible for teaching reading classes and overseeing the reading curriculum at an intensive English program in the United States. The institution strives to make reading fluency a priority in the classroom, but after conducting a basic overview of the literature on the topic, the author realized that the approach could be improved…

A study with 18 deaf high school students found that skills that actually contribute to reading proficiency included use of prior text information, prior knowledge, reading speed and consistency, use of active memory for function words and inflections, and correct processing of relative clauses and the passive voice. Instructional implications are…

Describes a German longitudinal study of the relationship among verbal ability, memory capacity, phonological awareness, and reading performance. Reports that the relationship between memory capacity and phonological awareness remained stable over time. Concludes that memory capacity predicted phonological awareness task performance, phonological…

A speed reading technique is described for use with reluctant readers. The technique uses timed probes with practically any reading material, to heighten student motivation in addition to increasing fluency. Methods for self-recording progress data and strategies for building fluency are described. (JDD)

Procedures are presented for improving the reading fluency and comprehension of students with mild handicaps, through use of the neurological impress method and repeated readings method with some modifications. Precision teaching techniques are used in conjunction with these methods, to measure performance, monitor improvement, and design…

A strategy is proposed for primary teachers to use with children who have reading difficulties. It includes developing a profile of each slow reader, testing each slow reader to determine reading level and specific weaknesses, and using certain practical methods to help solve the problem. (two references) (LB)

Testing materials for high school students whose reading is below grade level might not be age-appropriate or sufficiently motivating. The first step in finding appropriate material would be to talk with the student to learn his or her interests. To find age-appropriate material the author searched Internet resources and then used Microsoft Word…

This study of 36 backward readers (mean age=111 months) from the Netherlands determined that repeated reading-while-listening of the same text did not lead to better results (except in reading speed) than reading different texts, and asking readers to detect mismatches between written and spoken texts did not improve performance. (Author/JDD)

The paper describes procedures for reducing reading errors and building oral reading fluency by having students read along with audiotapes of passages recorded at rates somewhat faster than the learner's current performance level. Steps involved in this challenging reading method include assessment, daily timings, error correction, and rate…

Presents multimedia tools to enhance language arts and social studies lessons. These include stories on video; a computer program for increasing reading speed; and Educast, a free online service that gives teachers access to up-to-the-minute news along with extension activities and Internet-based, cross-curricular lesson plans. (SM)

This article contains eight principles for teaching the adult beginning reader. Each principle is based on classical, established, or new research and learning theory related to the adult reader. With each principle, a brief rationale for its development is presented and practical instructional strategies are indicated. (Author/CH)

Suggestions on providing home-based support in student development and study skills focus on study skills inventories, time management, reference materials, reading rate, oral reports, test taking, note taking/outlining, listening, visual material, writing reports, and library usage. (DB)