Argues that the most important factor in the success of any teaching method is the teacher's ability to reward children for correct behavior rather than punish them for incorrect behavior. The application of behavior modification principles to language arts instruction and discovery learning is discussed. (CW)

Reports a study of reading instruction in low-ability basal reading groups. Develops and validates a procedure for effective use of oral reading, which, in contrast to practices recommended by basal reader publishers, focuses on reading comprehension and encourages development of fluent, expressive writing. (Author/NH)

Describes a language arts program and defines a basal reader; the considerable mismatch between the two is argued from the viewpoint of several pedagogical concerns. Illustrates these concerns by a report of the work of informed, decision-making teachers who use basals as only one of many resources. (Author/NH)

Reexamines two current, popularly held views about reading: the relative importance of word perception versus the reader's attention to the larger syntactic and semantic redundancies of the text. Some recent findings suggest the seriousness of the difficulty for those who cannot read high-frequency simple words. (Author/DB)

Examined effectiveness of an intervention involving English- as-a-second-language strategies and effective reading practices for at-risk second-grade English-language learners. Found that students made significant gains on word attack, passage comprehension, phoneme segmentation fluency, and oral reading fluency. Four-week follow-up scores…

Investigated school and classroom factors related to primary-grade reading achievement in schools with moderate to high numbers of students receiving subsidized lunch. Statistically significant factors included parent-school relationship, systematic assessment, small-group instruction, independent reading, student on-task behavior, strong home…

The issue of whether to separate English language development (ELD) into a separate instructional block or whether to integrate it with reading/language arts instruction is an unanswered question with theoretical and practical implications. We addressed this question by observing instruction across the year in 85 kindergarten classrooms that…

Presents a brief sketch of the history of American reading texts, describing the educational and cultural conditions that have prompted changes in reading methods and materials and in the textbooks themselves. (Author/NH)

Examines the role of commercial materials in reading instruction through analyses of expert opinion and of research on reading instruction. Reports a series of investigations concerning teachers' and administrators' conceptions of reading and reading instruction and offers a critical evaluation of recent writing on effective reading instruction.…

In an instructional study, teachers were taught to make decisions about reading instruction while simultaneously following directives about how to use a mandated basal reading textbook. This article examines how such directives influenced elementary school teachers' perceptions of their role as reading teachers. (Author/NH)

Issues examined were (1) the degree to which first-grade students engaged in within-group and across-group comparisions and were aware of group differences, and (2) the relationship between teacher praise and students' group levels and academic performances. (RH)

Homogeneous grouping does not necessarily provide a setting for greater gains in reading achievement. Teacher-use of informal reading inventories, such as cloze is os suggested for accurate placement of children in reading groups. (NH)

Uses a task perspective to examine literature-based and skills-oriented approaches to literacy in second and sixth grade classes. Results confirm that the literature-based method encourages higher order thinking, whereas the skills-oriented method promotes performance of small, simple tasks. (DG)

Describes the way in which a second grade teacher changed her practices and beliefs regarding the teaching of mathematics. Illustrates that the changes did not influence her teaching of reading. (PCB)