The number of native Arabic-speaking students coming to America to study English in university programs has grown over the past few years, and continues to be substantial. It has also been noticed by the English Language Institute (ELI) at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) that these students often struggle more with reading activities in class,…

Describes the State-Question-Read-Conclude (SQRC), a student-centered reading/thinking strategy based on the Directed Reading Activity format, and SQ3R, all proven to be effective strategies for developing the reading and thinking skills of elementary and secondary school students. (RS)

A practicum used a program of high interest activities involving reading to address the problem of low reading comprehension grades and test scores of eight students in the second through fourth grades, who were an average of 1 year behind the norm in reading. The program's six units included a listening unit, computer technology unit, daily…

Prereading activities, analogous to prewriting activities, can draw on the reader's prior knowledge of the subject and make the student's reading of literature more proficient, raise the comprehension level, and make class discussions more meaningful. Some suggested prereading activities for the literature classroom include (1) making students…

Describes an instructional process used in a college developmental reading class (as well as with upper-level classes) that promotes the development of active, engaged readers who constructed meaning through social interaction with fellow classmates. Describes how this strategy was applied to segments of "Night" by Elie Wiesel. (SR)

Describes how one teacher infused reading strategy instruction into her first-grade classroom literacy program. Discusses strategic literacy instruction, noting independent reading strategies. Describes the variety of approaches the teacher uses to foster emerging students' development as strategic readers (including demonstrations/modeling,…

Describes the Scaffolded Reading Experience (SRE), in which a teacher creates a carefully orchestrated set of activities to assist students in successfully engaging in any reading they do. Describes the SRE framework and how it was planned and implemented in one sixth-grade class. (SR)

Discusses what it means to struggle as a reader, lacking competence with reading strategies and lacking confidence in oneself to make meaning with texts. Argues that balance can be found in adolescent reading programs by seeking equilibrium between the visible and invisible aspects of instruction in the development and use of reading strategies.…

Presents five principles of effective instruction which can help struggling readers improve their reading ability. Considers the importance of providing materials at varied levels, using flexible grouping when students read, and allowing time for students to practice fluency, comprehension, and independent reading. (JPB)

Methods shown to be effective in helping less fluent readers develop fluency suggest a set of principles that teachers may find helpful in designing regular classroom activities for fluency development. These principles include: (1) repeated reading of one text or meeting target words repeatedly in a variety of texts; (2) teacher modeling of…

This report describes a program for advancing reading comprehension skills. The targeted population consisted of second and fourth grade students in an affluent northern suburb of a large midwestern community. The problem of a lack of comprehension skills was documented through teacher observations, student and parent surveys, comprehension…

Describes a strategy adaptable to middle school, high school, and college levels that helps to motivate students to want to read and gain information; promotes discussion and fosters students' learning from one another; helps below-grade-level readers understand content; and encourages higher order thinking. (SR)

Targeted primarily for students in grades 4-8, this document presents a variety of structured overview, mapping, and story frames strategies for integrating writing across the curriculum and to help students gain and retain information from texts. The paper includes a rationale for content area reading lessons, a list of reading lessons to bridge…

A study investigated whether comprehension would be affected by utilizing prereading strategies. Subjects were 57 students (low level 11th graders) in 4 classes. Two classes, totaling 29 students, utilized prereading strategies before 2 units of study. In the other 2 classes, with 28 usable subjects, no prereading activities were used prior to…

Describes Reading Apprenticeship, an approach to adolescent reading improvement in which teachers apprentice students into the strategies skilled readers use. Demonstrates the program at work in one seventh and eighth grade classroom. Discusses four key dimensions of classroom life: social (building community); personal (connecting to reading);…