A study involving 50 seventh-graders enrolled in three remedial reading classes focused on oral reading instruction and contrasted the effects of specific reading strategies with generic encouragement to do well. Students who used a specific oral reading strategy made significantly greater progress in reading that those with generic encouragement…

Discusses what it means to struggle as a reader, lacking competence with reading strategies and lacking confidence in oneself to make meaning with texts. Argues that balance can be found in adolescent reading programs by seeking equilibrium between the visible and invisible aspects of instruction in the development and use of reading strategies.…

Thirty-three middle school students with disabilities were assigned to experimental and control groups. Students trained to identify and generate main idea statements using main idea strategy instruction and a self-monitoring procedure showed increased reading comprehension and outperformed others on posttest and delayed posttest items requiring…

This article presents a practical plan for improving reading comprehension and reader self-efficacy in grades 4-12 through transactional strategies instruction. Three phases of instruction are described and specific instructional strategies are provided. Suggestions for implementation and for evaluation of instruction effectiveness are also…

Presents five principles of effective instruction which can help struggling readers improve their reading ability. Considers the importance of providing materials at varied levels, using flexible grouping when students read, and allowing time for students to practice fluency, comprehension, and independent reading. (JPB)

Describes how profiles of individual readers are valuable constructs in assessing independent word learning strategies and how such information can drive instruction. Describes the independent word learning strategies of three learners of varying ability, illustrating what information think-alouds can provide teachers. Discusses instructional…

Presents a discussion by dedicated teachers (who were taking a university course for reading assessment and diagnosis) about students' problems with vocabulary words that impede successful reading comprehension. Discusses how the interactive process of developing the strategies pushed the teachers' imaginations and created a challenge for the…

Metacognitive reading strategies were trained and practiced using interactive Web-based tools. Twenty middle school poor reading comprehenders were trained in two metacognitive strategies using a Web-based application called 3D-Readers. The training texts were science-oriented and merged the narrative and expository genres. Results from a…

This article discusses how registered therapy dogs can motivate and support children as they practice reading aloud in the company of the dog and with the support of the dog's handler. It also offers practical advice to educators, librarians, administrators, and community members seeking to implement such a program in their communities.

Based on research findings, informed opinions contained in the professional literature, and examples from school personnel of "what works," this report focuses on strategies that educators can use to improve secondary school students' reading skills and enhance interest in reading. Many of the strategies in the report are applicable…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a listening program using the reciprocal teaching procedure and the direct instruction model. Subjects, 95 9- to 11-year-old students from 6 special schools for children with learning disabilities, were chosen based on their very low scores on a decoding test, low scores on a reading comprehension test,…

A study investigated the effectiveness of the Students Achieving Independent Learning (SAIL) program, an educator-developed approach to transactional strategies instruction (TSI). Five groups of six previously low-achieving second-grade students received a year of transactional strategies instruction and five groups of six students received a year…

A study evaluated the Chapter 1 Reading Skills Center program which provided supplementary, individualized instruction in reading and writing to 176 eligible students in grades four through eight from four nonpublic schools in New York City. Major goals were to enable students to develop competency in reading and to integrate reading skills into…

In its report "Becoming a Nation of Readers," the Commission on Reading defines reading as the process of constructing meaning from written texts, a view of reading that makes the use of strategies seem probable. If a book is a source of partial information, and readers are supposed to use knowledge they already possess to determine the…

Working on the assumption that story structure contributes to the reading comprehension of students, a study assessed the comprehension and recall of 12 seventh and eighth grade remedial reading students. Subjects read a basal story revised to conform to a familiar story grammar and the original, unrevised, basal story. The two original stories…