Provides a nine-item annotated bibliography of material from the ERIC database focusing on independent reading and its importance in elementary secondary education. (MG)

In 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts published "Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America." This detailed study showed that Americans in almost every demographic group were reading fiction, poetry, and drama--and books in general--at significantly lower rates than 10 or 20 years earlier. The declines were steepest among…

In describing reading proficiency--the relative difficulty or ease that an individual reader experiences reading a particular text--researchers have recognized the importance of both text- and reader-based factors. This digest focuses on the factor of purpose, as determined by the reader or the instructional context. Having a purpose means having…

Reading as a pastime is basic to creativity and intellectual mind expansion as well as to the appropriate development of listening skills. Reasons for the decline of listening and communication skills can be attributed in part to misuse of media, to latch-key children, to decreased support from parents for reading at home, to lack of sufficient…

Lists reading materials that can help students learn more about topics in which they are interested, learn to do new things, and entertain themselves. (FL)

In recent years, some prominent scholars and historians of reading have emphasized the gradual nature of change in reading practices in the early modern period as opposed to sudden transitions. This article discusses the varying opportunities to acquire skills consequent on "engaged reading" (defined below) available to the children of different…

This study examines the longitudinal relations among early literacy experiences at home and children's kindergarten literacy skills, Grade 1 word reading and spelling skills, and Grade 4 reading comprehension, fluency, spelling, and reading for pleasure. Ninety French-speaking children were tested at the end of kindergarten and Grade 1, and 65…

Noting that what becomes of reluctant readers should be of great concern to a nation that advocates education and has traditionally been committed to principles of the higher order, this paper identifies the characteristics of reluctant or unmotivated readers and discusses what happens to them. Following background reflection on the limits people…

Current educational writing and reporting suggests a need for making reading a more vital experience for the student. One of the ways being tried in the Rye Public Schools (New York) is an integrated, guided, out-of-class reading program that is keyed to the inquiry curriculum. Starting in the third grade, each inquiry unit has specially selected…

This paper argues that there must be opportunities for students to pursue recreational reading in a developmental reading program. Some of the considerations suggested for teachers of reading who want to encourage their students to read for recreation include relieving some of the pressures under which many students are forced to operate, knowing…

A means of adding another dimension to the learning experience, reading for enjoyment, is presented. The author, a reading teacher, found that the most successful approach for her in reaching reluctant readers was to expose students to selected short stories while simultaneously teaching reading skills and writing methods. The reasons for using…

Discusses methods used to help adults improve their reading skills and read with more enjoyment. Particular attention is paid to the Reading Club method. An illustration is given of a particular exercise used at a center in Paris. (AMH)

Finds that home literacy environment influenced leisure-time reading, and that leisure-time reading contributed to orthographic processing skill beyond the prediction provided by phonological processing skill. Finds that home literacy environment influenced orthographic processing skill indirectly by its influence on leisure-time reading. Shows…

This study investigated the prospective relationships between reading performance and reading habits among Finnish children during the first and second grades of primary school. One hundred and ninety-five children were examined twice during their first primary school year and once during the spring term of Grade 2. The results showed, first, that…

Individuals in 14 job categories at the Analytical Instrument Division of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation were observed and interviewed for six months to determine their reading practices at work and in leisure settings. The individuals ranged from a research chemist and a printed circuit designer, to a quality assurance inspector and a mechanical…