An action research project described a program for improving prerequisite reading skills. The targeted population included students in a special education kindergarten and an at-risk first grade from declining urban schools located in a medium sized Midwestern city; and students in an at-risk prekindergarten program from a nearby middle class…

This book addresses the lack of research and scholarly discussion on multicultural literacies. A common theme across chapters is the ways in which elements of difference--race, ethnicity, gender, class, and language--create tensions that influence students' literacy experiences and achievements. Sections explore the relationships among culture,…

Explores the dilemmas and constraints faced by kindergarten teachers in trying to bridge home and school learning for the early reader. Suggests possible resolutions for teachers to meet the varied needs of kindergarten students. (MG)

Describes longitudinal studies conducted at the Drexel Early Childhood Center (Pennsylvania) that used Self-Controlled Interactive Learning Systems to teach reading skills. Standardized test scores for at-risk students are compared with other students; experimental and control groups using standard instruction are compared; and studies of…

Contends that effective use of time is critical in today's elementary classroom. Describes a curriculum development process in which 75 preservice elementary teachers created an integrated geography, language arts, and arts curriculum. Maintains that the approach could be used at all levels to teach about geographic features. (CFR)

Research has demonstrated that poor readers may demonstrate a variety of language deficits (e.g., Adams, 1990), and children with language difficulties have difficulty reading later in life (e.g., Catts, Fey, Zhang, & Tomblin, 1999). Teachers are likely to be faced with the challenge of implementing programming to meet the needs of children…

A study tested the effects of activity-based phonological instruction (rhyming, blending, segmenting) on the phonological skill development and reading and writing outcomes of kindergarten children, 31 with and 57 without disabilities, and 19 children repeating kindergarten in regular and self-contained classes in a large urban school district.…

This study analyzed the English discourse organization of sixty academic book reviews in three disciplines (linguistics, chemistry, economics) published in 1990, to help define book reviews as an academic written genre. Analysis revealed that although book reviews show regularities in information form, function, and content, some variation occurs…

A longitudinal study described the language and literacy abilities of urban at-risk children at several points over a 3-year period; provided the children with small-group literature-based reading/language arts instruction; and compared these children's progress in literacy achievement to other similar groups. Participants in the study were…

Literacy development was studied among 40 kindergarten students at Lummi Tribal School (Washington). Data consisted of observations during weekly classroom visits throughout the school year, student writing samples, records of "pretend reading," responses to environmental print, and teacher checklists concerning literacy experiences in…

A study examined the beliefs of parents in relation to their responsibilities and the school's responsibilities in the area of teaching reading. Parent interviews were conducted with three sets of parents of children receiving remedial instruction and two sets of parents of gifted children, all in fifth grade. All parents were from a rural area…

A mail survey of two-year colleges was conducted to identify (1) two-year colleges using computer technology to teach reading, (2) the types of hardware and software used, (3) the courses in which computer technology is used, and (4) the ways in which computer technology is used in two-year college reading programs. Responses from 181 two-year…

To highlight the versatility of the Starter Approach to reading, a one-on-one beginning reading strategy for use with a nonreader of any age, this document describes the approach in detail and then briefly describes four longitudinal studies that used it. The introduction notes that the procedure combines successful components of popular,…

Four papers relating to literacy education for Australian Aboriginal peoples are presented. "Testing Epenthetic Vowels in Anindilyakwa" by Velma J. Leeding reports on a study of Aboriginal perceptions of a short transitional vowel. In "Diagnostic Testing of the Anindilyakwa Orthography for Both Reading and Writing," Velma J.…

Recent reading research has identified three reader variables involved in fluent reading: automatic word identification, contextual word identification, and text phrasing. To confirm the validity of these variables in the reading process, to test reading models employing them in an integrated and interactive manner, and to identify developmental…