Many articles exist dealing with reading instruction and the current debate between phonics and whole language reading programs. A review of the literature indicates that most journal articles are in favor of teaching phonics along with other methods. There are many different opinions about whether phonics helps students learn to read, if it is a…

The transfer phenomena observed in adults do not universally generalize to the pre-reader and training in phonic blending is necessary in order for phonic-letter training to yield positive transfer to a word-reading task. (RB)

The relationship between word synthesis and beginning reading achievement is tested. A stable direct relationship is evidenced between the two, regardless of the child's reading strategy. (JMF)

Suggests three strategies to help students hear the sounds in words: developing phonemic awareness; explore sound/symbol relationships; and discover spelling patterns. This method is most effective if teachers continuously encourage students to think about how these strategies will help them as readers and writers. (SM)

Responds to five questions which are frequently asked about the purpose and nature of Reading Recovery, a popular and successful program. (MG)

Presents a means to teach phonics in conjunction with children's literature by presenting an overview of the literature, describing a comprehensive instructional plan that unites phonics instruction and children's literature, and discussing when and when not to use the strategy. (MG)

Provides 11 annotations from the ERIC database of recent reports and conference papers that address the relationship of phonics to beginning reading. (MG)

This paper reviews recent experimental findings that inform our understanding of the development of reading comprehension. Studies investigating children who have specific difficulties with reading comprehension provide considerable information concerning the process involved in successful reading comprehension. This literature highlights aspects…

This paper explores the conflict between instruction that characterizes Chapter 1 programs (which appear to advocate segmentation, isolated skills instruction, and other curricular incongruencies with the core reading classroom) and instruction that results from whole language philosophy. The paper maintains that the conflict may be due to a…

A study investigated the decoding automaticity of elementary students when receiving rule-based instruction (as a process of applying syllable and structural analysis rules and limited phonics), and when receiving holistic instruction in a whole language program (exercises in listening, reading and writing, integrated with classroom instruction…

STUDIES RELATED TO WORDS IN COLOR, THE MORPHOLOGICO-ALGEBRAIC APPROACH TO TEACHING READING, ARE DISCUSSED. ADULT CLASSES IN MILWAUKEE TAUGHT TO READ BY THIS METHOD ACHIEVED A MEAN GAIN OF .93 OF A YEAR IN 30 HOURS OF INSTRUCTION. IN EUCLID, OHIO, KINDERGARTENERS WHOSE PROGRESS WAS FOLLOWED THROUGH THE SECOND GRADE WERE TAUGHT BY WORDS IN COLOR AND…

BEFORE ANY DIAGNOSTIC READING INSTRUCTION IS DONE, TEACHERS SHOULD DETERMINE THE INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL OF THE CHILD AND SHOULD PINPOINT HIS SPECIFIC SKILL NEEDS BY CAREFULLY OBSERVING HIS ORAL READING BEHAVIOR. THE FOLLOWING SKILLS ARE SUGGESTED AS GOOD INDICATORS OF THE CHILD'S ATTEMPT TO APPLY PHONICS KNOWLEDGE--(1) THE USE OF CONTEXT TO PREDICT…

Teaching procedures for word analysis skills are described and followed by sample games and activities. The skills are listed in the following sequence: sight words, phonics (initial consonants, medial and final consonants, blends, digraphs, short vowel sounds, syllabication related to short vowel position, short vowel compound words, long vowel…

Very often, the greatest source of difficulty for the disabled reader is the inconsistency of the vowel sounds in the English language. This program, intended primarily for remedial use with any reader above the first grade, is designed to attack this problem by providing intense, highly structured practice in the regular vowel sounds while…

Group training on segmentation-blending training forms (SB) in conjunction with strategies for decoding novel words (WD) was assessed in kindergarteners. Neither the WD or SB factor was found to significantly affect novel word decoding performance, although the results indicated that the sounding out SB form led to considerable success in word…