Current pedagogical approaches recognize literacy as a social practice and yet school-based conceptualizations continue to dominate understandings of literacy learning of individuals with intellectual disability. Such understandings lead to local or everyday literacy practices being devalued and overlooked. Thus, for adults with intellectual…

This versatile handbook is for middle school and high school educators who need to differentiate literacy instruction for adolescent ELL students at various stages of literacy competency. Adapted from the highly successful "Differentiated Literacy Strategies for Student Growth & Achievement in Grades 7-12", the authors use brain-based strategies…

As you tailor your teaching to engage the increasing number of English language learners, the key to success is focusing on literacy. Adapted from the highly successful "Differentiated Literacy Strategies for Student Growth and Achievement in Grades K-6", this book provides a wealth of grade-specific literacy strategies that not only increase…

This article describes an unconventional method to teach un-contracted braille reading and writing skills to students who are blind and have additional disabilities. It includes a keyboarding curriculum that focuses on the whole language approach to literacy. A special feature is the keyboard that is adapted with braille symbols. Un-contracted…

Once upon a time, Americans identified illiteracy among high school graduates as a national crisis. The solution, almost everyone agreed, was to teach every child to read by the end of third grade. If students could read well by then, the reasoning went, they would read even better in all the grades that followed. However, the 2005 results of the…

Describes the Greensboro (North Carolina) Public Library's "Community of Readers," a network of community representatives who provide strategic planning for literacy services and act as advocates for literacy students. Also highlights the "Literacy in Libraries Across America" project as well as 13 public libraries in four…

Describes the efforts of an inner-city elementary school teacher to create a functionally literate environment in the classroom by linking written language to classroom routines, giving children many opportunities to write and receive written communication, and encouraging group learning. Explains the teacher's role in creating a print-rich…

This program, included in "Effective Reading Programs...," serves all students, kindergarten through grade twelve, in Maryland's public schools. The prime objective of the program is to ensure that all Maryland students can meet society's reading demands. The following three major considerations determine the goals: the reader as a…

This case study of an adult with developmental disabilities and no educational history reports on the successful literacy tutoring method used, which entails echo reading of brief passages and moving from holistic recognition of print to analysis of decoding and spelling. This approach contrasts with methods that first use small units of…

The Learn to Read project was designed to provide a supportive setting in which functionally illiterate adult students from suburban Cook County, Illinois, and surrounding areas could develop reading and writing skills. The target population included English-dominant adults with basic oral competency but no literacy skills, as well as…

Describes the Weber State University/Standard Examiner family literacy project which addresses low level literacy skills in adults and preliteracy skills in children. Children and parents are separated for certain learning experiences then reunited for "Parent and Child Together" time. Other segments of the program are described. (SM)

A cost-effective, computer-based, Navy-related basic reading skills program was developed for United States Navy recruits reading below sixth grade level. The program, called Performance-Related Enabling Skills Training (PREST), is designed to enable recruits to improve their reading and study skills and, thereby, increase the probability of their…

Discusses efforts to achieve higher rates of adult literacy and pedagogical approaches to learning to read. Describes definitions of literacy, school standards, and possible reasons for high rates of adult illiteracy. Discusses teaching methods, particularly the Nellie Thomas method, which has had success in prison literacy programs. (JB)

Based on adult learning and reading acquisition theories, the model forming the basis of a one-semester graduate course resulted in increased competencies of thirty-five presently employed or future adult basic education teachers each of whom taught reading to one adult illiterate during the course. The model consisted of assessment of reading by…

This study describes efforts by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) to promote literacy among six language groups of northern Ghana during the years 1972-1979. The report is organized into three parts. Part I provides general background for an understanding and evaluation of what took place. It first describes the national and local setting…