Six mistaken beliefs about reading comprehension are detailed, their manifestations illustrated, and preventative/corrective strategies recommended in this article. A list of 22 references is provided. (DCS)

Conversation with Donna Ogle, past-president of the International Reading Association, about content-area reading issues and strategies for low-achieving students. (PKP)

The Reading Recovery intervention program includes procedures for teaching children, recommended materials, a staff development program led by a teacher leader, and a set of interdependent administrative systems. The process involves familiar rereading, a running record analysis, writing a message, putting together a cut-up sentence, and reading a…

A Maryland school system developed a program called "Students Achieving Independent Learning" (SAIL) to help low-achieving students learn how to read. SAIL helps students become successful readers by showing them steps they can take throughout the reading process to increase their understanding. (13 references) (MLF)

To help the community encourage reading, a Texas elementary school's community involvement committee established a children's lending library in a nearby rent-subsidized apartment complex. Several thousand books were donated over a two-week period, hours have been extended, and teachers and staff generously donate time and expertise to manage the…

In 1989, the Quality Education Project was initiated in seven Mississippi school districts through a Department of Education grant. QEP is designed to meet local families' specific needs. In each locality, teachers, parents, administrators, and community representatives develop a plan, with support from area businesses, churches, and civic groups.…

Background knowledge is a critical relationship in reading comprehension. Includes a discussion on the classroom application of background knowledge in reading instruction. (MD)

By capitalizing on students' strengths and interests, reading styles instruction can help most youngsters become proficient readers. It is natural for children to enjoy reading. They should be challenged with high-level reading materials. Every student has a special reading style that develops at different times and rates. Successful programs are…

The four strategies that can improve the ability to read informational text are discussed. The effectiveness of incorporating information text in the curriculum in the early years of school is presented.

Too many middle school students struggle to comprehend their textbooks in science and other content areas. Thus, many adolescent learners lag behind in developing scientific literacy, which the National Research Council has defined as sufficient understanding of the scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making,…

Because students are highly motivated to read texts online rather than in traditional form, McNabb argues, schools should encourage students to use the Internet for academic and pleasure reading. However, hypertext has unique features that make comprehension monitoring while reading challenging. Strategies that work for reading passages of printed…

Project Read, which began 10 years ago as a collaborative reading strategy, has evolved into the Inquiring School model. This model arose from the realization that critical literacy strategies and structures work equally well in kindergarten, sixth grade, peer coaching, or at faculty meetings. Key elements are improved classroom practice,…

A pioneering middle-school teacher in Eugene, Oregon, found that harnessing the World Wide Web's vast resources can be challenging. However, structured directions and creative repackaging of "almost perfect" sites can turn the Web into a useful tool for developing reading comprehension and meeting statewide Learner Content Standards.…

In a second-chance program to develop reading competence, secondary students in an Alberta district continue in core academic subjects while enrolling in a 90-minute curriculum based on the "Picture Work Inductive Model." They listen to readings by teachers, write to prompts, and read independently. (Contains 14 references.) (MLH)

Scaffolding--supporting learners' efforts to bridge the gap between their present knowledge and the intended goal--is an effective instructional technique. The Scaffolding Reading Experience helps students get the most out of every literacy experience. The teacher considers the students, their purposes for reading, and the intended text, and…