A study investigated the kinds of English literacy experiences of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in a an all-English mainstream classroom, the conceptualizations of ESL students and their English language literacy learning held by a monolingual English-speaking teacher, and instructional strategies used to facilitate ESL students'…

A goal of the St. Paul (Minnesota) Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Project is to promote the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms through teacher training and the provision of related materials. This project is 1 of 31 sites participating in a…

A study examined whether retention of sight vocabulary words could be increased by implementing the tactile modality to a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic based lesson. A total of 10 first-grade remedial reading students in Elizabeth, New Jersey, were assigned to control and experimental groups, with 5 students in each group. Upon completion of 7…

This research review examined the use of a whole class early literacy program in classes which included disadvantaged and at-risk children in Australia. The program, Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL), is based on an interactive compensatory theory of literacy acquisition adapted from Success for All, a U.S. early literacy program. The…

A study investigated the effects of the literature-based reading instruction on the reading achievement of Mexican-American first graders in Spanish. Using a posttest-only control group design and "t" test for independent samples, results indicated that after three months the experimental group of 30 students (attending a 100% Hispanic…

This study examined parental strategies used with beginning readers, particularly how parents responded to children's miscues and what general admonitions they provided while listening to their children read. Subjects were 19 middle-class children (from 5 to 7 years old) and their parents. Each parent-child pair was visited at home and presented…

Interspersing vignettes and comments, this book describes the "Doing Words" program of teaching reading and writing to kindergarten and first-grade children. The book notes that the system is based on talking with the children each day, and finding what words are the most important to them that day and giving them those words on a card…

This book helps teachers introduce story elements to children in the primary grades. The book's lessons and activities complement the learning goals teachers have for their classes. The book is divided into sections on character, plot, setting, and theme. It has an introduction at the beginning of each section to bring the learning goals for that…

A study investigated: (1) whether children at risk for failure to learn to read and write increase their phonemic awareness while engaged in holistic language arts instruction; (2) if so, which language experiences and instructional practices are associated with the gains; and (3) the nature of the interaction between phonemic awareness…

A preliminary study sought to determine whether preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade children's analyses of English words were governed by perception of onsets and rimes or by perception of phonemes within onsets and rimes. Data were from several previous studies that used a 10-word invented spelling task. High percentages of the 135…

Intended to enable teachers and other school staff members to implement the Responsive Reading Program, a comprehension-centered program for kindergarten to third grade children, this guide is divided into a brief introduction and five major sections. The second chapter discusses the theoretical background of the program and the skills or…

To increase the reading achievement of a group of first grade students expected to experience reading difficulties during their first grade year, a practicum study involved the collaboration of a school psychologist with teachers, parents, and fifth graders (in cross age tutoring) to provide services emphasizing holistic, literature-based…

A literature based reading program was developed to improve reading comprehension skills of 14 students in a Chapter 1 pre-first grade class. Instead of using a basal reader for instruction, the students were exposed to trade or literature books, The reading strategies that were pre- and posttested were recognition of a sight vocabulary,…

This paper describes a comprehensive first grade language curriculum which views the acquisition of literacy as a whole language process. The paper explains how to configure program elements to provide direct instruction, time-on-task, and self-directed learning. The manner, timing, method of instruction, and specifics of the contribution of each…

The design and testing of an approach to reading instruction are described. The design system consists of five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. A needs analysis indicated the necessity to improve the reading skills of limited-English-proficient students. A group of 6- to 8-year-old students were identified for…