An experiment was developed under the assumption that learning about word families could help ease the introduction of short vowels to first grade students. The hypothesis was that teaching the word families would increase students' reading vocabulary, in contrast to the learning acquired by students taught only phonetic analysis. The control…

A study examined high and low achieving readers' performance with six phonic generalizations, using real and nonsense words. Eighteen first and second grade students were divided into higher level and lower level readers on the basis of their scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Three real words and four nonsense words for each of the six…

Children are ready to write before they are ready to read; thus reading instruction should be an outgrowth of abilities children develop through inventing their own words. This gives children practice with the more concrete activities of word composition before they undertake the relatively abstract task of reading. Writing exercises may be given…

Sixteen kindergarten children were instructed in grapheme-phoneme correspondences according to two methods that were identical except that in one method the children were instructed individually and in the other the children received group instruction. The number of learning trials given to each child was the same in both situations. However, in…

A SIMPLIFIED METHOD OF PHONICS UTILIZING THE GESTALT METHOD OF LEARNING IS PRESENTED. THE WORDS IN THIS COURSE IN PHONICS ARE TO BE TAUGHT AT A TIME DIFFERENT FROM THE READING CLASSES, BUT THE PRINCIPLES DEVELOPED ARE TO BE APPLIED WITHIN THE READING CLASSES. THE COURSE CAN BE USED WITH ANY BASIC TEXT AND STRESSES THE ABILITY OF CHILDREN TO…

An illustrative taxonomy for some patterns for initially stressed two-syllable words which can be used in word attack instruction is presented and discussed in this paper. It is designed to be a part of an integrated communication skills program produced by Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL). Examples of word patterns whose primary dimension of…

Four possible alternative approaches for developing word recognition skills (including sample lesson plans for both primary and intermediate grades) were presented. The first emphasized the importance of the relative order of difficulty of word analysis skills involving phonic abilities and auditory and visual discrimination in both primary and…

Students who received phonics and word recognition instruction directly from a teacher developed a more positive attitude toward reading than did students who received instruction through tape-recorded lessons. (MKM)

Identifies two statistically significant prediction equations involving independent dynamics that are based on information provided by 225 primary teachers regarding (1) 14 predictor variables and (2) their orientations toward three instructional emphases: graphophonics, skills, and whole language. (NKA)

Examines the role of various word features (versatile letter combinations) and basal text factors (word repetitions) in the developing word recognition skills of 93 first-grade students. Indicates that the text to which children are exposed early in first grade may differentially shape their word identification strategies. (HOD)

A study examined the effects of daily journal writing on kindergarten children's phonics acquisition. At St. Joseph School in Carteret, New Jersey, 21 kindergartners kept daily journals in addition to normal classroom instruction over a period of 4 months, while the 20 kindergartners in another class received only the normal classroom phonics…

Early childhood educators are concerned with the most effective method of integrating whole language and phonics to maximize emergent literacy skills. In kindergarten, it is especially important to provide the students with a variety of institutional approaches to accommodate different learning styles. A study examined the effectiveness of Super…

This action research project highlights the implementation of reading strategies that work for at-risk primary students. The targeted population consists of first grade students located in a suburban at-risk school. The dilemma of how to best teach children to read who are at risk for academic failure upon entering school has been documented…

This paper presents a "thick description" of a phonics lesson delivered to a first grade classroom (n=18) by the teacher. Following the description, the paper presents analyses from the following different perspectives: (1) the definition of reading; (2) curriculum from a critical point of view; (3) reading and culture; (4) teachers and…

This report describes a program for improving student independent reading skills through direct phonics instruction. Students were exhibiting inadequate reading skills, which interfered with academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of second and third grade students from a northwestern Illinois city of about twelve thousand.…