This study investigated the development of alphabet knowledge among 91 nonreading children followed from the beginning of kindergarten through the middle of first grade. Findings suggested that alphabet knowledge consists of both letter-name and letter-sound knowledge, which have different developmental patterns and which have unique importance…

Investigates strategies beginners use to learn to read words in a relatively regular writing system, Brazilian Portuguese. Finds strategies used depend on the method of instruction (phonics or whole-word), similar to what happens for children learning to read English. Suggests any differences between children learning to read more or less…

This article presents 20 activities to promote phonemic awareness in students, including teaching nursery rhymes, playing the "I Spy" game using initial sounds of words, creating a sound box, having students sort picture cards based on initial sounds, playing phoneme deletion games, and having students clap and count syllables. (Contains 4…

Experienced whole language teachers have developed a number of practical strategies that can and should be used to facilitate the development of "graphophonic knowledge" in their students' literacy learning. Graphophonic knowledge is defined as the combination of the sound system (phonology), the graphic system (orthography), and how…

Conducted in three phases, a study examined the teaching of reading in the early stages of primary school. The study was done by a research team from the University of St. Andrews School of Psychology, Scotland. Phase one explored methods of teaching reading and spelling in a sample of 12 schools within one Education Authority. Phase two examined…

A practicum aimed to strengthen the reading abilities of first grade students. Objectives included having first graders: (1) strengthen phonetic and decoding skills; (2) progress to grade level in the basal reading series; and (3) master a problem solving process that would enrich critical thinking skills. Subjects, 52 first grade students,…

Intended for student use at home as a supplement to schoolwork or at school as a phonics text, this workbook presents two- and three-letter blends. Each consonant blend is taught in a lesson of one to three pages. The pages provide practice in recognizing the blend sound in a word using picture clues, using a blend to complete words, and choosing…

In the context of whole language learning, the teaching of phonics can be approached in two different ways. In one situation, the teacher engages children in composing with a purpose and for an audience, during which time the children become aware of graphophonic relationships through their need to spell words. In the other situation, the teacher…

This book presents a method of teaching letter sounds to children; it suggests ways for the elementary teacher or parent to involve children physically, as well as mentally, in the learning process. For example, to learn the letter "Y," children stand with outstretched arms to form themselves into the letter Y; to learn the "Z" sound, children…

A study was conducted to test the thesis that teaching word recognition skills in a manner compatible with the learner's auditory or visual modality preference would facilitate beginning reading instruction. A group of 62 students in two first grade classrooms was studied; one class stressed the presentation of words as whole units, the other…

Work on the development of a phonics test that will be incorporated into a total word identification test battery has continued for several years. A prototype of the test was developed in winter 1977, and a revised version was administered in spring 1978. Analysis of this test data revealed several problems, and new criteria for the test were…

BASED ON "COLD DATA," SOME CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE PROBLEMS OF TEACHING READING TO SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN ARE LISTED AND BRIEFLY DISCUSSED. AMONG THEM ARE THE FOLLOWING--(1) MOST OF THESE CHILDREN ARE RETARDED READERS, BUT THEY LEARN TO READ IN SPITE OF, AND PRIOR TO THE SOLUTION OF, THEIR PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS, (2) WORD ATTACK SKILLS…

A SEQUENTIAL, INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY WAS PRESENTED FOR DECODING LETTERS INTO SOUND. THE STRATEGY WAS INTENDED TO COMPLEMENT INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS IN BEGINNING READING. LETTER-SOUND CORRESPONDENCES AND CONCEPTS WERE PROVIDED FOR ALL LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET AS THEY MIGHT OCCUR IN VARYING POSITIONS TO FORM ENGLISH WORDS. OF THE VOWELS, ONLY TWO…

SOME OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHALL'S "LEARNING TO READ, THE GREAT DEBATE" FOR TEACHING PERCEPTUALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN TO READ ARE DISCUSSED. CHALL CONTRASTED THE WHOLE-WORD APPROACH WITH THE CODE-EMPHASIS APPROACH IN WHICH A CHILD BREAKS THE CODE THROUGH LETTER-SOUND ASSOCIATIONS. IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT CHILDREN FIND MORE DIFFICULTY…

FOUR PAPERS GIVEN AT THE READING SYMPOSIUM OF THE 1968 AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION PRESENT DISCUSSIONS OF THE SOUTHWEST REGIONAL LABORATORY (SWRL) READING PROGRAM. THE FIRST PAPER DESCRIBES OBJECTIVES, CLASSROOM MATERIALS, AND PROCEDURES. OBJECTIVES FOR SIGHT-RECOGNITION, WORD-ATTACK SKILLS, AND COMPREHENSION SKILLS ARE EXPRESSED IN…