Two struggling fourth-grade readers with learning disabilities who have severe deficits in word recognition, comprehension, and reading fluency improve their reading skills using a method that combines intensive word study with the timed repeated reading of poetry. The direct instruction included semantics, morphology, orthography, and…

Describes a method for measuring syntactic complexity and applies it to 20 Newbery Award winning books. (RB)

Compares and contrasts three reading comprehension taxonomies and discusses possible uses. (MKM)

Concludes that the four reading comprehension tests examined in this study tend to measure general knowledge rather than comprehension skills. (Author/RB)

Presents a fictitious dialogue in which a teacher of a college methods course in reading points out to her students that (1) people read for different purposes, (2) reading needs vary from community to community, and (3) teachers should investigate the reading needs of people in their communities. (GT)

Looks at why countries participate in international literacy assessments, how reading literacy is measured, what such assessments have revealed to date, and what the future might hold. Notes that a particular advantage of international studies is that associations between variables such as gender or socioeconomic status and reading literacy can…

Traces the history of the reading assessments conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), discusses the objectives and importance of the 1979-80 reading assessment, and notes the need for professional organizations such as the International Reading Association to develop proposals dealing with research questions raised by…

Provides sources of aid and encouragement for parents of children of all ages who want to help their children develop positive attitudes toward reading and sharpen their reading skills. (FL)

Offers five guidelines for teaching slow readers: (1) use age-appropriate content; (2) build background and highlight key concepts; (3) keep assignments short; (4) focus on only a few skills and strategies; and (5) practice the chosen objectives to achieve success. (MG)

Develops several lessons that integrate reading and writing for the purpose of understanding and retaining knowledge. Illustrates the use of a feature matrix, as well as webs, outlines, and timelines as organizational devices to engage the students in active comprehension of text. (NKA)