Describes 10 ideas for using recitation to strengthen reading comprehension, including: (1) what did I just say? (2) one thing I learned today; (3) student-generated test questions; (4) guess what will be on the test; (5) where is it located in the book? (6) teacher show and tell; (7) inquiry training; and (8) what's the big idea? (SKC)

Suggests ways in which parents and teachers can work together to improve the reading development of children. Presents results from a survey which examined parents' knowledge and beliefs about reading, and indicated the need for more parent-teacher interaction. Recommends parents make a conscious effort to reinforce the school's reading program.…

Describes a four-step instructional process that helps middle and secondary students become actively involved in their reading and provides a structure for main idea development in reading and writing. (HOD)

This report discusses the findings of a study that evaluated the effectiveness of a set of considerate interventions in closing the language arts achievement gap in general, and evaluated the effects of these interventions in complex classroom settings that serve large numbers of at-risk students who have disabilities and live in poverty. The…

This book explores 15 practical literacy strategies that can be used across grade levels (K-College) and content areas. The easy-to-use book offers an overview of the research and best practices associated with each literacy strategy--and it defines each strategy. It explores proven instructional methods such as metacognition, literacy circles,…

Providing a focus for assessment and serving as a scaffold for documenting and reporting students' progress in reading, this framework is designed to assist teachers in planning and implementing Washington state's Essential Academic Learning Requirements in Reading. Organized by grade level (5-7), each level presents information in four sections:…

Based on the 1998 Arkansas English Language Arts Frameworks, this framework lists benchmarks for grades five through eight in writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's stated standards are to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different writing process elements appropriately to…

To understand the capacity of middle and high schools to support reading, a study examined two questions: (1) How do middle/high schools organize and allocate resources to support reading? and (2) How do middle/high schools respond to resource and structural challenges created by the multiple institutional actors that comprise the school system?…

A study examined a program entitled "Summer Opportunity to Accelerate Reading" (S.O.A.R.), which provided early intervention to accelerate literacy learning for at-risk students completing kindergarten through grade 2 in 2000-01. Subjects were 2188 students enrolled in 12 S.O.A.R. campuses. Ethnicity was diverse with 58% Hispanic…

Presents tips for school librarians to encourage reading based on Stephen Krashen's analysis in "The Power of Reading" of more than 200 research studies, articles, and books on reading and literacy. Highlights include the effects of reading on student achievement; recreational reading; and reading aloud. (LRW)

The article explains how elementary teachers can strike a balance between whole language and traditional approaches to reading instruction, describing successful programs and sharing several teachers' suggestions for combining the two methods in the classroom. A list of reading resources is included. (SM)

Finds that a strategy-instruction approach helped second-grade students to find needed information in the nonfiction texts they read and eliminate the copying of text. Discusses how students learned to search for information, take notes, organize notes, and use those notes to compose a report in their own words. (SR)

Describes an extraordinary experience teaching comprehension strategies to fourth-grade reluctant readers through literature study. Notes how the experience was a fusion of three critical elements: an extraordinary group experience, a text that taught itself, and an instructional model that met the students' needs. (SR)

Designed to help students improve their understanding of everything they read, especially the types of reading selections that they will find on standardized tests (such as the ACT and SAT), this guide explains the 3 key steps to strategic reading: preview before reading, underline and annotate while reading, and summarize after reading. It…

The mandate to foster social intelligence through public education is the historic basis for the federally funded programs resulting from the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act. Art as an instrument of social change also was the goal of a 1970 summer program initiated by the Guggenheim Museum for New York's inner city youth. Under the…