Based on an engagement perspective of reading development, we investigated the extent to which an instructional framework of combining motivation support and strategy instruction (Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction--CORI) influenced reading outcomes for third-grade children. In CORI, five motivational practices were integrated with six cognitive…

Reviews four major federal initiatives to improve early reading and literacy programs in the U.S.: Title One Reading program, the Reading Excellence Act, Even Start Family Literacy Program, and the Leave No Child Behind Act. Concludes that these expensive reading programs have not been very successful. (Contains 22 references.) (CAK)

Teaching reading strategies and guiding students towards self-regulated reading routines are promising approaches to fostering reading comprehension in students with learning disabilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate in a sample of 73 fifth to eighth graders with learning disabilities (IQ higher than 85 and reading skills below…

This study examined how well cognitive abilities predict high school students' science achievement as measured by traditional content-based tests. Students (n = 1,651) from four high schools in three states were assessed on their science knowledge, reading skill, and reading strategy knowledge. The dependent variable, content-based science…

This study examined kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade teachers' intended and reported classroom use, as well as perceptions and knowledge of reading strategies and methods, before and after their participation in a 120-hour professional development workshop. A cluster analysis was conducted on the teachers' (N = 33) responses to a…

Even though reading is a complex process, cognitive psychologists generally agree that reading is an active thinking process. Four aspects of the interactive view of reading can help define this process: (1) readers use both what they know and information from the text to construct meaning; (2) readers elaborate what and how they read; (3) readers…

A discussion of methods for assessing students' use of cognitive reading strategies provides suggestions for what to look for, including decoding dysfluency and cognitive strategies used in nonreading contexts, and a three-part approach to conducting such an assessment. (MSE)

A discussion of the use of reading strategies in second language reading comprehension draws on research and theory in reading and in second language learning, and suggests classroom exercises for activating a variety of global strategies. (MSE)

Submits that children recognize their first words in a different way than they later decode. Compares the hypothesis that sight words are recognized as wholes to the hypothesis that sight words are recognized as parts. Finds support for the idea that first words are recognized by "selective association." (BS)

A focus on people--whether community members, students, historical figures, or fictional characters--and their motivations brings excitement to learning. A community's experts on everything from jazz music and Chinese tapestries to building construction can help students move inside history and other subjects. (MLH)

A key to the success of the Just Read and other effective reading programs is complete involvement of the entire school. School leaders must be committed to reading improvement, support teachers' efforts, and give them time to succeed. Overcoming parent and/or teacher resistance to involving reluctant readers is essential. (MLH)

Uses literature discussion as a vehicle for encouraging fourth-grade students to reflect critically on injustice in their own lives. Notes that reflection is a basic skill and an important reading strategy all too often ignored or unacknowledged. Suggests that reflection is the very core of learning rather than an extra or supplementary reading…

Many high-school students responding to a teacher's in-class literacy survey are frustrated, unprepared readers lacking metacognitive knowledge and comprehension monitoring. Respondents own few books, avoid libraries, and cannot name a favorite book title. They must be taught to question, predict, summarize, and clarify until meanings emerge. (MLH)

Investigates word meaning constructions of four middle-school learners during self-selected reading events where learners targeted unfamiliar words. Explores learner perceptions about vocabulary acquisition. Finds learners used multiple strategies in single encounters with new words, were not inhibited by inaccurate word meaning constructions,…

This article reports the findings of a study that analyzed the teacher editions of primary-grade science and social studies textbooks for comprehension strategy instruction. After observing several science and social studies classes in the primary grades, it became clear to the authors that strategy instruction was missing in many of the lessons.…