The efforts to develop and study the effects of a microcomputer program to enhance children's decoding and word recognition skills are described in this paper. The first section of the paper discusses theory and research in the area of cognitive psychology upon which the program, "Construct a Word," is based. The second section describes…

To discover the strategies good and poor readers employ at grades two, three, and four, a case study focused on the oral reading of four students (two good readers and two poor readers) in their second, third, and fourth grade years. Data were examined and interpreted. All four children either increased their ability to make use of cuing systems…

A mapping strategy for thinking critically about expository text, focusing on the passage's main idea, major supporting points, other viewpoints, reader's conclusion, and relevance to a contemporary situation, was effective in improving reading comprehension of four high school sophomores in a remedial reading class and two mildly mentally…

Research on the schema theory of comprehension and cultural schemata, on background cultural knowledge, is reviewed and related to reading comprehension theory and practice. In line with the research findings, several activities for pre-reading, reading, and post-reading are described, with suggestions for teacher preparation and classroom use.…

Intended for teachers of grades 2-6, this book offers methods to help students become lifelong readers. The book's instructions include emphasizing respect for the readers' choices of books and their own unique response to the literature. Information is intended to promote thoughtful analysis of what has been read and to validate readers'…

This revised language arts curriculum framework lists the content standards for writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's standards are designed to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate to different audiences for a…

Describes a study involving a set of 3 interviews conducted with 11 community college developmental reading students at the beginning, end, and 2 months after instruction in reading strategies to determine how the students defined their views of reading and of themselves as readers. Reports improvements in reading skills, self-efficacy, and…

Reports on two studies to determine if teaching poor readers to use inner speech could improve their reading and writing skills. Finds that both experimental groups improved significantly in both reading and writing. Includes three tables containing comparative experimental data. (CFR)

Discussed is the difference between reading fiction and reading science. The importance of reading orally and developing an awareness of text structure are discussed. A checklist and questions for analyzing the language structure of science textbooks are included. (KR)

Describes a program that sends books home for parents to read to children in New Zealand. Reports on a study of classroom teachers and parents in 19 primary schools. Finds that, nearly all parents report participating, but there lacked a systematic communication between parents and teachers about instructional practices. (CFR)

This article considers the research evidence from United Kingdom evaluations of integrated learning systems, systems that include extensive computer-based courseware plus management software. It discusses the value of these systems for pupils with learning difficulties and focuses on their effects on the reading attainments of pupils who are lower…

Oral reading fluency is defined as the combination of accuracy (i.e., words read correctly) and rate (i.e., number of words read in a specified time). One strategy that addresses oral reading fluency is repeated reading of passages. Repeated reading can improve students' reading skills by building reading fluency linked to specific performance…

The Easy Steps to Reading Independence (ESTRI) Program is a reading program to be used to support whole language or basal reader programs by enabling limited ability or non-readers to begin reading, or to remediate reading disabilities, at age and grade appropriate levels immediately, without requiring the students to know sight words before…

Intended for special education and reading teachers, this practical resource provides a ready-to-use reading intervention program combining whole language experiences and phonics skills activities that enables students to read for meaning and recognize and recall words on their own. The book includes 34 structured, sequential reading units that…

An instructional strategy adapted the Big Book reading experience to the adolescent student to increase enthusiasm for reading, vocabulary development, and sound word attack and comprehension strategies. Criteria for choosing books to read aloud with teenagers include: (1) select well written books; (2) select books that reflect students'…