The first part of this report reviews an extensive series of studies concerned with the reciprocal teaching of comprehension fostering and monitoring strategies--an instructional method in which an adult teacher and a group of students take turns leading a dialogue aimed at revealing the meaning of the text. The studies reviewed indicate that…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 35 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) developmental patterns of good and poor readers; (2) teacher perception of principal leadership behavior and student reading achievement; (3) cognitive style…

Because thematic statements are too global to aid poor readers in comprehending texts, a series of studies using a common procedure was conducted to determine the relationship between teaching thematic concepts prior to reading and reading comprehension. The thematic organizers used in the studies contained three paragraphs that defined the…

THE IDENTIFICATION STORY IS AN ORIGINAL, OR ADAPTED, TEACHER-PREPARED TALE IN WHICH STUDENTS ARE CAST, ALWAYS SYMPATHETICALLY. THE IMAGE STORY IS WRITTEN BY THE TEACHER FOR A CLASS, SMALL GROUP, OR INDIVIDUAL IN AN ATTEMPT TO CAST EACH STUDENT IN A POSITIVE IMAGE THE STUDENT PREFERS. THE STUDENT-CREATED ANTHOLOGY IS A BOOKLET OF FICTIONAL, TRUE…

These Title I Special Reading Classes were designed to improve classroom performance in reading for those students significantly below grade level as measured by the Science Research Associates Reading Test. Various methods of organization and instruction were used depending upon the individual needs of the students. The maximum number of students…

Suggests, based on classroom observations, that teachers with a knowledge of reading research and the ability to organize instruction are better able to provide effective instruction for poor readers. Emphasizes the importance of increased time on reading tasks, direct instruction, and process writing activities. (ARH)

Indicates that it is feasible to include selected expressive and receptive language activities (focusing on syntactic-semantic relationships) into reading instruction for primary grade students. (FL)

This collection of essays aims to encourage high school students to improve their reading skills. The essays offer numerous practical teaching ideas for helping students increase their vocabulary and comprehension as well as learn to love the medium of books. Useful ideas revolve around issues such as: guided reading; independent reading; making…

This paper provides an overview of Reading Recovery, a preventative one-on-one tutoring program that targets first-grade students whose reading skills place them in the lowest 10-20% at their school. First implemented in the United States in 1986, by 1995-96, the program was being used by over 9,000 schools in 2,940 districts. Key components of…

Sharing the wisdom of educators throughout Colorado in implementing the Colorado Basic Literacy Act, this book is intended to be a practical complement to teachers' repertoire. It offers ideas for immediate implementation, along with citations of current research and references, and represents the best ways to respond to the needs of struggling…

Presents evidence to support the premise that boys reflect a predilection to process information visually, while girls reflect a preference to process information auditorally. Cautions against relying on isolated components such as hemispheric dominance or laterality during the identification and correction of reading problems. (FL)

Advocates using the adolescent novel as a source of independent reading material in the two-year college reading program with adults with low reading skills. Includes an annotated bibliography of 23 appropriate novels available in paperback. (MKM)

Explores the applicability of "scaffolding" (adults providing support for children in tasks they cannot learn on their own) in the Reading Recovery program. Reading Recovery is an intervention program consisting of daily half-hour lessons taught by a teacher trained to diagnose and respond to reading disabilities. (MJP)

A study assessed whether the effects of computer-assisted practice on visual word recognition differed for 73 Spanish children with reading disabilities with or without aptitude-achievement discrepancy. Computer-assisted intervention improved word recognition. However, children with dyslexia had more difficulties than poor readers during…

Discusses reading instruction in non-English languages and describes the use of reading materials and methods based on students' cultural background. Describes three exemplary reading programs for minority students and offers a model of a responsive reading teacher who meets the needs of minority background students through locally appropriate…