Systematically incorporated into classroom instruction in word analysis, word sorts provide a sensible alternative to phonics or whole-word approaches and are congruent with the meaning-based direction of today's basal reading programs. A word sort is an activity in which the learner arranges words printed on cards into groups. This technique can…

Designed for use by students in preservice education, by teachers taking extension courses in reading, and as a manual for inservice work in reading instruction, this book explains the major approaches to teaching developmental reading, suggests methods and techniques for implementing different reading programs, and offers practical suggestions…

How linguistic principles can be incorporated into reading instruction was shown by examining the interrelationships of certain linguistics ideas to learning to read. First, the acquisition of oral language was discussed as to the developmental stages: phonological, morphological-lexical, and syntactic. It was suggested that reading instruction…

Phonics instruction was taught two ways to 63 predominantly black tenth graders in a Trenton, New Jersey high school to see if the approach used affected the gains made in phonics skills. One approach taught vowel and consonant sounds, while the other taught only consonant sounds. Thirty sessions of instruction over a period of 8 weeks were…

Four different treatments were used over a period of five months in this experiment concerning the teaching of reading skills to 35 black kindergarten children. The treatments were: (1) spelling patterns/phonic approach using black standard English, (2) a sight approach using black standard English, (3) a sight approach utilizing black nonstandard…

Games and self-checking devices created by teachers to meet the immediate needs of their students can become part of the continuing program of informal diagnosis, small-group remediation, and individual instruction. The reading games outlined in this document have been divided into three basic formats--card games, board games, and self-checking…

Concludes that beginning reading instruction organized around a phonic decoding model effectively teaches beginners how to decode novel (untaught) words, and that sound blending is important in this process. (RL)

Identifies two statistically significant prediction equations involving independent dynamics that are based on information provided by 225 primary teachers regarding (1) 14 predictor variables and (2) their orientations toward three instructional emphases: graphophonics, skills, and whole language. (NKA)

Explores issue of whether beginning readers proceed from print directly to meaning, or whether they need to use phonological information to obtain access to the meaning of printed words. As derived from a group of children between seven and 12, results indicated that, at least at low levels of reading skill, intermediate phonemic codes are used in…

A study examined the effects of daily journal writing on kindergarten children's phonics acquisition. At St. Joseph School in Carteret, New Jersey, 21 kindergartners kept daily journals in addition to normal classroom instruction over a period of 4 months, while the 20 kindergartners in another class received only the normal classroom phonics…

This report describes a program for improving student independent reading skills through direct phonics instruction. Students were exhibiting inadequate reading skills, which interfered with academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of second and third grade students from a northwestern Illinois city of about twelve thousand.…

Uses a dialogue format to examine the nature of the reading process, including the aspects of decoding, encoding, interpretation, and application. Includes British references. (VJ)

Concludes that, of several reading readiness factors, knowledge of alphabet letter names is the best predictor of phonics skills other than vowel recognition and of reading abilities involving words in insolation, and that number knowledge is the best predictor of reading abilities involving words and syntax. (FL)

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students are often labeled as struggling readers based on the results of large-scale standardized tests yet little empirical data about specific strengths and needs exists. In the present study we looked beyond high-stakes assessment to highlight reading strengths and needs for a group of fourth grade American…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a phonologically based reading program delivered to first- through sixth-grade impaired readers (N=115) in small groups. Post-tests after program completion found the program resulted in significantly better phonological awareness, decoding, reading accuracy, comprehension, and spelling. Improved skills…