Although several different reading fluency intervention approaches appear promising for adolescents who are struggling readers, few studies have directly compared various approaches. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to determine the relative effects of word-oriented, fluency-oriented, comprehension-oriented, and multi-component…

It is easy for intermediate students to get the wrong ideas about the purpose of reading. Educators pay so much attention to decoding and fluency in the early years that children sometimes come to believe that flawless and rapid word recognition is the point. As texts get more demanding or unfamiliar, some of the "good readers" in classes begin to…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 6-8. SUBJECT MATTER: Reading. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into seven color-coded sections covering program organization, diagnosis, basic skills, advanced skills, reading taste, spelling, and material selection. It is mimeographed and spiral-bound with a paper cover. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES:…

Demonstrates how sixth graders became engaged with the daily journal of an eleventh grader and how this motivated them to write journals themselves. Discusses the varying topics they read and wrote about and how they learned from this experience. (PRA)

This study of 98 sixth graders examined the effectiveness of reading and/or writing instruction in social studies that focused on text organization, main idea statements, and important supporting details. Results indicated that students who received reading instruction generally had better recall of textbook material than students without reading…

A study determined the effectiveness of the "Direct Instruction" program on the reading achievement of sixth-grade students. "Direct Instruction," known as "Distar" in the 1960s, is a phonic-based method that uses scripted lesson plans engaging students to learn by memory and classroom responses. Subjects were 30…

Describes a writing program for sixth grade remedial students that was a reading program as well. Includes "how to" guidelines for successful process-conference instruction. (FL)

Describes how a teacher researcher invited her students to be detectives on the lookout for language and to take a critical perspective on how it varies with each speaker, purpose, and context. Suggests that educators need to be careful about how they present language varieties so that their students appreciate them as more than "quaint artifacts…

Reading strategies can be taught at various grade levels using songs as texts. The thought-provoking song "The Greatest Love of All," sung by Whitney Houston, was used with a group of sixth-grade students, using the Reading/Singing strategy. The steps in the reading lesson were: (1) motivate the children so they will eagerly anticipate…

A study was conducted to determine whether using the schema method for vocabulary instruction would be significantly greater than using the dictionary method for vocabulary instruction. Subjects were 12 sixth grade students who were divided into two sample groups and received different forms of vocabulary instruction for 10 weeks. Each sample was…

The innovation of an instructional program utilizing "The New York Times" to teach reading skills to an ethnically and educationally diverse group of sixth graders resulted in an overwhelmingly positive response from students. The wide range of subject matter in "The Times" had something for every student, regardless of…

Describes a reading program for gifted middle school readers designed to increase critical reading ability and student appreciation of literary technique and broaden understanding of sophisticated vocabulary. (MLF)

Explores the impact of an inquiry project conducted with sixth-grade language arts students. Looks at three aspects of the project in relation to the literature on engagement, critical literacy, and the design of language arts curriculum for adolescents. Concludes that students' intense interest in their projects demonstrates such projects provide…

A study tested the hypothesis that the self-esteem of a group of six sixth graders would be raised through the employment of a bibliotherapeutic program. Self-esteem was measured before and after the program by the "Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory for Children Form A." The subjects, who were from low, average, and above average reading groups,…

THIS TEACHING GUIDE IS PRESENTED TO ASSIST THE TEACHER IN WHOSE CLASSES ARE ONE OR MORE GIFTED PUPILS READING ABOVE GRADE LEVEL. DESIGNED FOR USE WITH GIFTED PUPILS AT GRADES FIVE AND SIX, PART 1 PROVIDES GUIDANCE FOR TEACHING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ONE AUTHOR TO CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. THE METHOD USES THREE GROUPINGS OF BOOKS. THE "A"…