Compared students' acquisition and use of reading strategies and reading attitudes in skills-based and whole-language settings. Participants were low-income first graders. Students completed a common reading task. Researchers coded literacy strategies for self-correction and substitutions and conducted classroom observations. Children in the…

Describes a peer tutoring program used in grades two and three of a school where the majority of children entering school do not speak English as their first language. Shows impressive gains made by the children in reading fluency, comprehension, and in spelling. Notes the program's positive effects on reading attitudes, positive social skills,…

Describes how the author, a third-grade teacher, deals with the challenges of teaching within a school-based reform package. Describes how she finds ways of satisfying the required number of minutes of reading, math, and science instruction without sacrificing what she knows about what works for her students and their learning. Discusses pros and…

An intervention study of 7-year-old, poor readers examined the extent to which factors of phoneme manipulation, rhyme, verbal ability, nonverbal ability, and phonological memory were predictive of responsiveness to teaching interventions. Only phoneme manipulation was a predictor for reading accuracy. However, for reading comprehension, verbal…

Discusses instructional psychology and teaching reading. Focuses on Early Reading Research (ERR), a 2-year study following a sample of 433 children as they progress from reception into Year 1. Reports on the first year of research when children were in either six experimental classes (implementing ERR reading framework) or six comparison schools.…

A study examined whether Kentucky primary teachers were adopting the changes in literacy instruction recommended in the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA/1990) which, in part, encouraged the use of whole language and integrated reading/language arts approaches and the teaching of writing as a process. The study employed direct classroom…

A study examined a program for implementing a reader's workshop to improve low reading skills. Subjects were first-, second-, and third-grade students in a suburb of a large midwestern city. The problem of low reading skills was observed and documented in grade 1 through a sight word assessment and a 3-part writing assessment which included a…

A study examined an early reading intervention program designed to lead children, identified with low reading readiness at the start of first grade, to an appropriate reading level by the end of a 6-month period. Subjects were students entering first grade in a middle class community in northern Illinois. The problems of low reading readiness were…

An exploratory study examined the influence of teaching conditions and instructional strategies on student reading performance in Latvia and compared influences to those in other countries. A representative sample of students was drawn from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy Study in…

Although many educators believe that learning to read and write Mandarin Chinese is not easy (because of the complexities of its characters and grammar), it is common to find voracious and expert young readers in the early elementary school levels in Taiwan. The Chinese educational system is governed by a uniform curriculum and nationalized…

An English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) educator of migrant students in a rural county in Oregon used a whole-language approach to language and reading instruction. Although reading instruction in Spanish was preferred, lack of Spanish-speaking personnel and limited ESL instructional time prohibited that approach. In whole-language ESL, the teacher…

Intended for teachers of grades K-2, this book aims to inspire students with the award-winning art and stories found in Caldecott books. The book uses Caldecott winners as springboards to provide lively, literature-based learning experiences--from projects that encourage children's own artistic expression to fun and creative activities that…

An action research project stresses the need to incorporate various methods of teaching to develop a firm reading foundation. Self-esteem also plays a crucial role in developing enthusiasm to learn. The targeted population consisted of first and second grade students in clustered classrooms in a growing, middle class community located in central…

A practicum developed a whole language kindergarten at-home reading program. The target group was 27 sets of parents of children in a kindergarten classroom who volunteered to participate. The objectives were to increase the parents' knowledge of whole language techniques; increase their level of comfort in using whole language techniques at home…

This 3-year study examined how primary grade teachers and their teacher assistants taught reading and the language arts to a boy with multiple disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Qualitative research strategies are used to describe and explain the boy's participation in literacy activities from kindergarten through second grade. Findings are…