Published in partnership with WestEd, this significantly updated second edition of the bestselling book contains strategies for helping students in middle school through community college gain the reading independence to master subject area textbooks and other material. Features of this book include: (1) Based on the Reading Apprenticeship…

Defines the method of "think alongs," which are representations of a reader's process of constructing meaning. Illustrates how think along methods of reading instruction might be used in secondary science, math, or social studies classrooms by focusing on critical learning issues in each area. (HB)

The purpose of this monograph is twofold. First, it reviews, analyzes, and synthesizes where possible the findings of selected research related to content reading which has been conducted during the past two decades. Secondly, it describes how the findings of this research apply to classroom instruction. The topics discussed are: Reading in…

Cites numerous research studies stating that the textbook remains the dominant tool in social studies, causing a low regard for the subject by many students. Looks at reading research to provide instructional procedures that social studies teachers can employ to enhance students' understanding of the written materials they encounter. (KO)

Shares the results of two studies on the Possible Sentences strategy which indicate that the strategy can be as effective, if not more so, than semantic mapping in teaching vocabulary and fostering recall information. (MG)

Using evidence drawn from classroom observations of grades eight and 11, the article addresses the question: If content area teachers are not implementing the methods that reading educators suggest, what are the characteristics of existing instruction? (HOD)

Two studies were conducted to determine the effects of specific reading strategies on content area comprehension and reading skills. The strategies tested were a specific study guide, directed reading questions, cognitive organizer, and structured overview. In the first study, 225 students enrolled in a community college history course were…

To address the gap perceived by classroom reading teachers between research findings and reading process theories and the realities of classroom reading instruction, this paper poses six questions/problems often asked by reading teachers, and answers them with information drawn from current research and theory. Topics covered in the questions…

A survey was conducted of junior and senior high school area teachers in the Rahway (New Jersey) public school system to determine what effect, if any, the two reading courses required by the state for all prospective teachers have had on the reading skills they teach. The questionnaire was composed of 80 multiple-choice statements and…

Twenty-two first grade children were questioned about the aged and their capabilities both before and after a unit of study about old people. Background information was collected from the children's parents to understand the children's attitudes prior to actual classroom instruction about the elderly. An analysis of responses to the three…

Visual representations of the main ideas of information text (frames) help middle-grade students learn from reading. A study investigated frame development by middle-grade teachers. Twenty-seven teachers worked alone and collaboratively to frame experimental passages that had been selected from content area textbooks in social studies and science.…

To determine if integrating course content with reading study skills would (1) increase student learning of course content and (2) improve students' general reading achievement, one section of a reading education course for preservice teachers was taught reading study skills along with course content; two sections were given no classroom…

Students Asking Questions (SAQ) has proved to be a simple, effective method for teaching urban third grade students to generate literal, inferential, and critical questions from their readings of instructional materials. Teachers using the SAQ method prepare students for reading a selection from a basal reader by offering one literal, one…

This monograph is one in a series of semiannual reports on research related to reading in secondary schools. The six papers in the monograph deal with the following topics: (1) the effect of reading level on the retention of propositions by secondary school remedial reading students; (2) the ambiguity of the term "significance" in research, which…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 30 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) effects of graphic organizers, textual organization, and reading comprehension level on recall of expository prose; (2) the effect of metaphor on the reading…