This study aimed to examine the effect of an intensive reading intervention on reading motivation. The intervention program, ("Joy of Reading"), was implemented in six 2nd grade special education classes for pupils with learning disabilities, compared to a control group (n = 108 pupils in total). The intervention program was created…

Oral language competence (skill in everyday talking and listening) is critical in the early years of school in two key respects: it underpins the transition to literacy in the early years, and is the means by which children form and maintain interpersonal relationships in the school setting. In this paper, the role of oral language competence with…

The development of native-like memory traces for foreign phonemes can be measured by using the Mismatch Negativity (MMN), a component of the auditory event-related potential. Previous studies have shown that the MMN is sensitive to changes in neural organization depending on language experience. Here we measured the MMN response in 5-6 year-old…

This article describes collaboration between three university professors and six preschool teachers who used photo-narration and the Language Experience Approach to support the language development of young children. For more than a century, educators have used children's personal experiences as a basis for language and literacy instruction. The…

Indirect effects of preschool classroom indexes of teacher talk were tested on fourth-grade outcomes for 57 students from low-income families in a longitudinal study of classroom and home influences on reading. Detailed observations and audiotaped teacher and child language data were coded to measure content and quantity of verbal interactions in…

This article describes two educational settings in Nigeria where teachers adapted a language experience approach for reading and writing instruction. The first setting is a professional development workshop for public school teachers of students in grades 1-6. The second setting includes two groups of students with special needs: a grade 6 class…

Educators have moved on from older models of technology-based education that focused on the attributes and basic uses of the hardware and software available to them. Now they are finding the necessary creative and innovative ways to harness technology's power for school and community educational improvement. In this column, the authors tell four…

Describes an experiment to introduce biliteracy development in two Italian-English preschool bilingual children, noting that both children not only learned to read but also improved fluency, production, and receptive language in their weaker language. (CB)

Article considered the ingredients for effective teaching of language arts. (RK)

This paper describes various approaches to beginning reading instruction and discusses the major factors which determine success or failure in beginning reading regardless of the approach used. The teacher, the child, and the social and physical environment while being infinitely variable can be controlled to great extent by the teacher of…

Offers suggestions for differentiation of reading instruction based on Joseph Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model, which provides for general exploratory activities, group training activities, and individual investigations of real problems. (MKM)

Reviews recent ERIC resources for creating integrated learning environments. (DD)

Outlines a direct teaching approach that helps students apply their English-as-a-Second-Language knowledge and reading skills to second language reading tasks. The approach helps students to develop reading strategies to solve such second-language reading problems as unfamiliar words or an inflexible reading style. (Author/CB)

Children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) are particularly vulnerable for later reading problems. This article describes the use of experience books, associated with the Language Experience Approach (LEA), as a motivating and linguistically appropriate literacy tool for young children who are DHH. The authors explain how remediation…

Reflecting an orientation to reading, language development, and students, this guide was drawn together to help give focus and direction to the efforts that are occurring in schools where people are studying the environment in which a child becomes a reader. An overview of the guide centers around the belief that a child will become a reader if he…