Patterns of misspelling common to children's writing are examined to help teachers recognize the strategies used by developing spellers so that they can provide more focused and individualized spelling instruction. (HTH)

The relationship between word synthesis and beginning reading achievement is tested. A stable direct relationship is evidenced between the two, regardless of the child's reading strategy. (JMF)

Fifty-one learning disabled elementary students received reading instruction with a braille phonics approach. (CL)

Suggests three strategies to help students hear the sounds in words: developing phonemic awareness; explore sound/symbol relationships; and discover spelling patterns. This method is most effective if teachers continuously encourage students to think about how these strategies will help them as readers and writers. (SM)

Reprints an exemplary article published in this journal in 1955, which points out that phonics is only one part of a total reading program. Emphasizes the fact that meaning for the reader must be the essential part of all reading instruction. (SR)

Notes that the goal of phonics instruction is to help students develop the alphabetic principle. Explains how the words "explicit" and "systematic" are used in multiple ways in the context of phonics instruction. Suggests that educators should engage in serious discussions about how multiple approaches to phonics instruction…

Uses reading-guide pyramid based on U.S. Department of Agriculture's food-guide pyramid to develop argument that new federal guidelines for scientific-based research will result in an unbalanced, phonics-rich approach to reading instruction. Argues for a balanced approach that includes comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and phonics. (PKP)

After informally studying his first grade class, a teacher tentatively concluded that some students are phonetic learners and some are not. A faster method of identifying phonetic and nonphonetic learners is needed. No study that fails to consider differences in learning styles can possibly yield valid results except by chance. (MLH)

Responds to five questions which are frequently asked about the purpose and nature of Reading Recovery, a popular and successful program. (MG)

Provides 11 annotations from the ERIC database of recent reports and conference papers that address the relationship of phonics to beginning reading. (MG)

Recommends a constructivist approach to reading instruction. Argues that (1) ownership is the overarching goal of the curriculum; (2) constructivist approaches improve word identification and higher-level thinking; (3) phonics instruction should be properly timed; (4) writing makes a significant contribution to children's learning of phonics; and…

Suggests that many educators are finding common ground and common sense under the banner of "Balanced Literacy." Discusses the term, the search for balance, and the difficulty in maintaining a balanced literacy program. (RS)

Argues that holistic, transactional views of the reading process have been uprooted and replaced with what has been labeled "balanced" instruction. Presents a brief outline of the California requirements for instruction incorporating phonics. Concludes by encouraging whole language teachers to stand together because their beliefs are…

Currently, definitions of "science", "reading", and "literacy" in the US lend a seemingly nonrelativistic permanence to these terms, and render them resistant to critique. This paper offers a theoretical frame for critiquing this permanence, analysing why early-literacy instruction is tightly tied to traditional forms…

In 1990, Cunningham developed a Names Test as a quick and easy screening tool for teachers to obtain information about a student's decoding skills. In 1994, Duffelmeyer, Kruse, Merkley, and Fyfe added 10 names to the original Names Test and developed a comprehensive scoring matrix to increase diagnostic information from the test, based on error…