This collection of 9 papers from the International Reading Association's Reading Research 2001 Conference (RR2001) addresses comprehensive reading instruction across the grade levels. The introduction, "How Will We Develop the Concept of Comprehensive Reading Instruction Across Grade Levels?," notes that five quandaries arose in the discussion of…

Addressing the question of why some children manage to continue successfully through the later stages of literacy acquisition while others are unable to meet the challenges presented by fourth and fifth grade reading tasks, an 18-month, in-depth study was conducted of the home environment factors influencing the reading comprehension of second,…

The purpose of this book on reading instruction in the elementary school is twofold: firstly, to share with colleagues some of the significant works of research and theory that suggest answers to important questions about reading instruction, and secondly, to describe specific teaching strategies implied by these answers. The book assumes that…

This paper makes the following points concerning the teaching of Spanish reading to the Spanish dominant child: (1) Encourage parents to begin teaching their children to read as early as possible, (2) teach reading first in the mother tongue of the child, the language the child knows best, (3) isolate and solve the difficulties the child finds…

Papers presented suggest a variety of views aimed at helping the teacher become more proficient in using children's literature in teaching reading. David C. Davis points out the need for developing programs in which books are selected on their literary quality, not on tastes or personal points of view. William G. McCarthy discusses the…

Early reading should be studied from three perspectives: the function of print, the form of print, and the conventions of print. In so doing, it may be possible to avoid some of the hazards that have plagued the field, such as unsubstantiated assumptions about beginning reading and how it should be taught, erroneous beliefs that maturation plays…

The concept of scaffolding can be used as a framework to argue that a "rich interpretation" in child language is needed in the area of early literacy learning. Child language is the reading-like text language of "prereading" kindergarten children. Two threads (internal and external) of the scaffolding process have been identified. The external…

Focusing on research about children's acquisition of reading and spelling skills, this paper discusses the larger picture of reading acquisition, issues addressed by research, and results of this research. The paper cites numerous studies on the subject, including studies on whether environmental print experiences enable young children to process…

This paper describes the home and school experiences of 12 children from bilingual (mostly Chinese/English) homes who, before beginning first grade, demonstrated advanced ability to comprehend written English. Results demonstrate that lack of fluency in oral English should not exclude children from advanced instruction in reading. (Author/JDD)

Reflecting the increasing complexity and sophistication in reading research, the papers in this collection represent a wide spectrum of approaches, philosophies, viewpoints, and techniques of scholarly endeavor in their treatment of reading research and instruction. Following an address, by the president of the organization, on reading…

Intended to provide a publication outlet for systematic and substantive reviews and syntheses, both empirical and theoretical, and for integrative reports of programatic research, this volume focuses on what children learn when learning to read, and how this learning can be facilitated. The first chapter of the volume offers an analysis of writing…

This thesis investigated the attitudes toward reading of elementary students in 3rd and 6th grade at a small, rural western Kansas school before and after implementing a read-aloud program. The sample consisted of 58 students--33 boys and 25 girls, including both the study group (n=30) and control group (n=28). Independent variables were…

The development of strong reading competencies in educationally at-risk preschoolers in the Early Childhood Day Care Center (University of Alabama) was established through intensive training with a synthetic phonics approach. Subjects' reading performance was assessed on the basis of criterion-referenced tests and standardized reading tests,…

This book presents state-of-the-science research on the components of successful literacy learning and how to target them in contemporary classrooms. The volume builds on and extends the work of Steven Stahl, whose pioneering contributions encompassed the key areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and assessment.…

Reading aloud to children is an important facet of the literate home environment and the best preparation for the establishment of preschool literacy skills. David was read to at every opportunity, and a diary was kept to observe, record, and study his emergent literacy events in the home. Since David often asked to have the same books read to…