An elementary school in Texas has developed a program of reading instruction that immediately provides early readers with ample reading opportunities and materials rather than constraining them with "reading readiness" assessment. Initially, the absence of sufficient reinforcement material in the basal readers required increased amounts of reading…

After considering the advent of knowledge about prereading from a longitudinal perspective, this report then reviews the research on preschool children's attempts to read and offers a discussion of cross-sectional research on both prereading and beginning reading. The discussion is organized in terms of three hypothesized strands of prereading:…

An extended readiness unit plan for beginning first graders who demonstrated a limited degree of readiness in kindergarten is provided. The unit theme is the five senses, and the following sequence of presentation is used: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Visual-perception activities receive the most emphasis. Included in procedures for…

Two hundred and eight first graders were assigned to one of three treatment groups. Treatment A received initial instruction in letter names followed by sight words; treatment B received initial instruction in letter names and sounds followed by sight words; and treatment C received initial instruction in sight words followed by letter names and…

Research on reading readiness is listed in two sections: Part 1, 1950 to the present, and Part 2, 1900-1949. Within each section citations are alphabetized according to author's last name and are followed by a descriptive abstract in Part 1 and a brief annotation in Part 2. A broad definition of reading readiness ranging from maturation as a…

This 34-item annotated bibliography was compiled to help professional educators decide whether reading should be taught in kindergarten and, if so, how the instruction should be conducted. The references include varying and even opposing points of view. The authors of the articles are teachers, administrators, professors, and researchers. (TO)

The purposes of the study were to determine whether phonic analysis training could be used to prepare children to be successful on the Auditory Analysis Test (AAT) of phonic skills and to then relate phonic knowledge to reading performance. Subjects were 40 first graders in suburban Pittsburgh who had attended kindergarten together. A group of 16…

The purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences in first grade achievement appeared among pupils who participated in an eight-week Summer Head Start Program and qualified pupils who did not participate. Both groups were divided into three subgroups according to scores on the Draw-A-Man Test. Each subgroup (high, middle, and…

The main purpose of this investigation was to study the relationships between visual memory and early reading achievement. Short term and intermediate memory were examined in relation to vocabulary, reading comprehension, and reading readiness in first grade pupils. The Gates MacGinitie Readiness Skills Test; the Visual Memory for Designs Tests,…

The effect of mastery of three prereading skills (letter order, letter orientation, and word detail) on first-grade reading achievement was investigated in a study of 1068 students from 42 randomly selected classrooms; 687 students completed all instruments and could be included in analyses of results. Systematic instruction was given to 16…

The author discusses the processes by which children learn to read and how the natural sequence of learning may be used to improve reading instruction. (JD)

Discusses the maturational, behaviorist and cognitive or psycholinguistic views of reading readiness. Describes a teaching strategy of "assisted reading," derived from the cognitive, psycholinguistic view. (BF)

Examples of the awareness of young children of printed information they have gained informally are used to demonstrate some of the important knowledge that children bring to beginning reading and writing. Teachers need to encourage exploratory reading and writing experiences. (Author/DB)

Examines the history of preschool reading instruction, what researchers recommend, and what is actually happening in preschools, then asks whether reading should be taught to young children. (FL)

This book discusses the background and origins of reading problems, including poor reading instruction and frustrations of different instructional methods. The book presents a complete method for teaching basic skills needed in reading. Part 1 (What Every Parent Should Know about Learning To Read) contains the chapters: "Does My Child Have a…