Describes a strategy reading tutors can use with elementary school children to help bring their attention to the targeted skill in their reading instruction, done by demonstrating to the child the reading behavior that is intended for instruction. Shows how the child then can articulate the purpose of the skill and the rationale for learning it.…

With increasing attention focused on comprehension, there is a need for research regarding how to implement comprehension instruction for struggling readers and assess its effectiveness. This article describes reading instruction as it occurred over two years with one struggling reader in third and fourth grade. A comprehension checklist provided…

Miscue analysis has been used by teachers and reading specialists for more than 30 years. Its purpose is to reveal strengths and weaknesses in how children process text and thereby inform instruction for individual learners. But is it still a useful approach? The authors assert that miscue analysis can indeed be a useful tool, though not for all…

Concludes that as little phonics instruction as is necessary should be presented to help the learner achieve increasing independence in the various coding tasks. (RB)

Reviews the literature in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) on diagnosing reading difficulties through the use of informal reading inventories. (RB)

Analyzes Skills Management Systems (SMS) as a means for establishing an accountability framework in reading instruction and concludes that at the present time there are too many unverified assumptions in such systems. (RB)

Presents reservations about reading games and questions whether they actually teach, reinforce, and motivate. (JM)

Examines several criterion-referenced-testing programs for strengths and weaknesses in diagnosing the student's reading skills. (RB)

Suggests that by modifying the manner in which workbook pages are presented to students, teachers can increase their effectiveness as teaching tools. (FL)

Discusses briefly 6 professional books that discuss and illustrate skill instruction within a balanced approach to reading. Intends to help teachers think through and justify the professional decisions they make to support every student's development toward becoming a lifelong reader. (SR)

In this article, Rosenblatt's transactional theory of reading is used to build a rationale for using drama to promote an aesthetic stance to novel study. One teacher's experience with implementing a variety of drama strategies within the study of the text "Hatchet," by Gary Paulsen, is explored. The focus of the exploration is on the types of…