If reading is understood as consisting of multiple kinds of thinking, then listening is one of the most important forms of mental action in which readers engage. Readers must hear sentences in order to make sense of nested syntactic relationships. They also must hear sounds that occur within the text in order to participate in its world, and they…

In this article, the authors describe the balanced literacy pilot program at Monroe Middle School in Tampa, Florida. Monroe implemented the program as part of a districtwide effort to improve student literacy. It uses a four-pronged approach to improve literacy: (1) read-alouds; (2) independent reading; (3) shared reading; and (4) guided reading.…

Independent reading is a necessary adjunct to a school reading program. If caried out with commitment, it can greatly influence students' lifetime reading habits. Unfortunately, today's educators are so involved with reading instruction and competency testing that independent or recreational reading may become a lost art. This paper asserts that…

Describes the Young Hoosier Book Award program, which is designed to promote voluntary reading. Notes that schools across Indiana are deeply impoverished in terms of literacy resources for students and that school libraries are chronically underfunded and are in dire straits. (RS)

Reprints a classic article published in this journal in 1970. Considers the interplay between interest, motivation, and self direction on the one hand, and the reading levels concept on the other hand. Warns that the concept of reading levels is often focused on errors, and that this tends to distort perceptions with regard to the primary goal of…

Offers a detailed plan for a book swap, which not only helps place new books in the homes of most children but also places books in the homes of children who may have no books at all. (SR)

Describes a whole school supplemental reading program for secondary schools based upon the development and use of a schoolwide reading list that includes titles of books, the types of teachers (chemistry, history, physical education, etc.) who sponsor the books, and the "linked courses" that bestow academic credit for each title. (SR)

Describes a summer reading program for 26 remedial readers in which each student left voice-mail messages on the school district's voice-mail system, either reading to the teacher for three minutes or summarizing a book chapter. Describes the teacher's responses and parental feedback and involvement. Notes that all students maintained their…

When the authors realized that successful book selection is not a natural skill for all learners, they developed a tool to support self-selection of independent reading material without book leveling. This tool is called BOOKMATCH, and it supports readers for whom book selection is "complicated." BOOKMATCH is an acronym in which each letter…

In this article, the author shares the lessons he learned from Aaron, a 12-year old kid who had never been to school, on the importance of crafting systematic fluency lessons. The following are strategies that worked for them: (1) Demonstrate what fluency sounds and feels like; (2) Read aloud to the students at least three times a day from a…

One of the programs included in "Effective Reading Programs...," this program, begun in 1972, serves about 3,600 disadvantaged first through fourth grade students. The independent learning approach is featured in this program. Placement tests help teachers determine each child's needs, and diagnostic tests monitor student progress.…

Describes an independent reading program for gifted students used by the the Blue Mountain Union Schools in Wells River, Vermont. (JL)

The reading workshop is not based on ability groups, but provides a venue to focus on each student's strengths and needs. Components include a teacher-sharing time, focus lesson, state-of-the-class conference, self-selected reading and responding time, and student-sharing time. (MLH)

When a child has an extensive knowledge of vocabulary, it is most likely from extensive reading, regardless of whether the reading is from comic books, magazines, or a recommended reading literature list. Teachers who are always trying to find the best strategies for teaching literacy skills such as reading comprehension, vocabulary development,…

This guide highlights the basic operation of software that provides a framework and tools for students to encounter computer-based multimedia reviews of the books the have read independently given minimal equipment and expertise, and suggests ways to go beyond the basic operation for those who have the capability to do so. After a background and…