A combination of case study observation and mini-experimentation techniques were used to examine a number of issues of relevance in the study of the acquisition of beginning reading skills. Six children were divided equally among three instructional modes: phonics, whole word, and mixed. They were asked to decode and encode words, and their…

A study was conducted to assess the benefits of using the newspaper in reading classes for high school special education students. Students in one of two classes received two trimesters of instruction in basic reading skills through use of the newspaper. Students in the other class received one trimester of instruction in developmental reading and…

The purposes of this study were to determine which test instruments should be used to report instructional and independent reading levels to tutors or classroom teachers and what recommendations should be made concerning the materials to be used for teaching the child. The subjects were children from grades two through ten who had been identified…

A method for stimulating and facilitating organizational writing in the secondary school is described in this paper. Pictorial sequences are coordinated and arranged to typify the four major styles of writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. These sequences both portray a meaningful event in keeping with the writing style and…

The papers in this book were selected from those presented at the 1972 and 1973 International Reading Association Conventions. The divisions within this volume focus attention on four major areas. "Comprehension of Content in Reading" discusses the comprehension process for the beginning reader, reading mathematics texts, using students' writing…

This paper focuses on ways of improving reading by developing the intermediate skills and the higher order comprehension skills in reading. The paper consists of four sections: "Intermediate Skills and Context Cues" discusses the use of the cloze procedure for improving comprehension skills and for analyzing words in terms of class membership,…

The research and development efforts cited in this paper deal with four related subsets: explicit questioning, purpose setting, implicit questioning, and social conventions related to classroom questioning behavior. The contents include "Inquiry Training as Reading Training," which discusses the importance of developing inquiry skills concurrently…

The teacher of reading can be a diagnostician if the term "diagnostician" is defined appropriately and if the teacher has the knowledge, the facilities, and the skills necessary to make diagnostic teaching work. A diagnostic teacher needs a comprehensive acquaintance with the objectives of reading instruction. He or she should be familiar with the…

Three items are described in this paper: the individual difference variable of cognitive style, research which has implicated cognitive style and reading achievement, and beginning reading research which uses cognitive style as a dependent variable. The contents include "Cognitive Style," which discusses research related to defining cognitive…

In light of demands from our rapidly changing society, the need to revitalize and renovate teacher education through competency-based programs is long overdue. We cannot hope to attain the high level of competency needed in our professional reading programs if we are to continue in our traditional demands for cognitive skills without application…

This paper details the development and implementation of a feedback system designed to provide information to various strata of decision makers. Data were collected in each of eight city districts in the following areas of reading achievement: mastery of upper and lower case letters, mastery of phonic skills, level of sight vocabulary and…

The array of technological devices available for use in the reading program today is impressive. The innovations vary in form and complexity: radio, television, videotape recorder, computer, film loop, cassette, tape recorder, and microforms are but a few of the materials. There are many arguments which could be presented for and against the use…

This paper presents and discusses some existing problems in and proposed solutions for establishing a professional posture and developing a science of teaching reading. The problems discussed include: the immense size and complexity of the educational enterprise in physical plant, personnel, students, and curriculum; the size of the educational…

Described is a music program for students with reading learning disabilites. It is explained that the program was designed to teach fundamental music skills, to teach visual/motor and auditory skills through music activities, and to evaluate the effect of music skill development on language reading skills. The daily routine of music exercises,…

A study investigated whether direct instruction, used as a main instruction strategy, with a concentrated curriculum, can help students quickly improve their basic reading skills. Subjects, 18 students (age 7 to 15 years) with reading problems, received individualized treatments for 3 weeks (or 12 hours). Pre-test, treatments, and posttest was the…