Research has indicated that a large percentage of primary-grade students who struggle in reading have not achieved full competency in the foundational reading competencies (word recognition and fluency). In this article, the author argues that more intensive instruction of the foundational competencies is needed and proposes a simple lesson…

The ability to ask questions is essential to learning, reasoning, and understanding. This column introduces a sequence of activities that incorporate the use of digital images and online texts into intentional opportunities for even the youngest learners to work with their teachers and classmates as they wonder, anticipate, explore, and think…

The teaching approach described in this article was originally designed for kindergarten students who are at risk for reading disorders. In a 30-minute session, students practiced attending to and identifying the spelling patterns, pronunciations, and meanings of common morphological suffixes through listening activities, interactive book reading,…

It is common for many students with developmental disabilities to demonstrate characteristics of emergent readers beyond kindergarten and first grade, even if they are members of classes that offer many rich literacy opportunities. This article proposes a lesson frame for intensive reading instruction for students with developmental disabilities…

How can we best contribute to our students' reading development and achievement? What are the hallmarks of successful, independent student readers? An examination of reading curricula, reading assessment, and related Federal education policy reveals the ongoing emphasis on the cognitive strategies and skills of reading. The teaching and learning…

The purpose of this article is to describe the changes in reading instruction that teachers made that contributed to students' growth in reading. Teachers made the transition from instruction that was primarily teacher-directed and focused on lower-level questions to instruction that supported students in their higher order talk and writing about…

Constrained skills theory is a reconceptualization of reading development that suggests a continuum of skills, with some, such as letter knowledge and decoding abilities, more tightly constrained than others, such as phonological awareness and oral reading fluency. The most constrained skills consist of a limited number of items and thus can be…

Using poetry to teach fluency through repeated reading is an effective way to improve students' reading fluency. Repeated reading of poetry is effective with students whose instructional reading level is between the first and third grades. Ten to 15 minutes of repeated reading per day over an extended length of time has proven successful for both…

Ten practical suggestions for involving children in successful reading experiences. nAuthor)

Argues that a literate environment can be fostered by teachers requesting children to read the daily newspaper and encouraging them to badger their parents for subscriptions. (FL)

Describes a strategy reading tutors can use with elementary school children to help bring their attention to the targeted skill in their reading instruction, done by demonstrating to the child the reading behavior that is intended for instruction. Shows how the child then can articulate the purpose of the skill and the rationale for learning it.…

Reviews the literature in the Educational Resources Information Center on research into reading comprehension, how to improve comprehension, and methods used by elementary teachers. (RB)

Argues that improving a child's self-esteem may lead to improvements in reading skills. (RB)

Demonstrates that the practice of classifying children who have learning disabilities may do more harm than good when the labeling is done by teachers who should concern themselves with instruction and leave diagnosing to doctors. (RB)

Describes a teaching method designed to increase interest in oral reading and improve students' reading skills. (RB)