Intended to help dispel several unsupported "myths" about reading instruction, this book analyzes a selected group of teaching practices that have been supported by reading experts but not by research findings. The "myths" discussed in the first 12 chapters of the book are as follows: (1) phonics hinders comprehension; (2) unpredictable spelling…

The 50 most frequently occurring words found in primary level reading materials were taught to kindergarten pupils using three different teaching methods. Neither methodology nor frequency of occurrence affected the relative learning difficulty of sight words. The study is the second investigation in a series. (SB)

This study found that constant time delay was effective in teaching word reading to four students (ages seven to eight) with mild handicaps. Individual attentional response was more effective and efficient in learning to spell words than in choral attentional response. Observational and incidental learning occurred for all students. (Author/JDD)

This is the story of Lily, a 12-year-old girl with Williams Syndrome (WS). A reading program was developed to meet Lily's specific reading needs while addressing her individual learning style; this includes attending to the unique characteristics of Williams Syndrome. During this school year, Lily showed significant gains in sight word recognition…

Evidence from a nine-month longitudinal study of deaf children's early attempts at learning to read provides the construct for an instructional model that stresses that even though the children may have, at the least, a meager expressive sign language vocabulary, they can be lead successfully through the holophrastic or one-word stage of reading…

The instructional concept guide is part of a system developed for tutor training and support. It is primarily designed for volunteers, but it can also be adapted to the training of paraprofessional tutors for any type of adult literacy program. A key component in the system is the Tutor Support Library, consisting of Instructional Concept Guides…

Designed to add to the existing knowledge base concerning the saliency of features used by children to identify isolated words, a study examined whether the method of instruction influences the extent to which various features are used for word identification and recall. Subjects, 117 kindergarten students from a suburban Buffalo, New York, school…

The instructional concept guide is part of a system developed for tutor training and support. It is primarily designed for volunteers, but it can also be adapted to the training of paraprofessional tutors for any type of adult literacy program. A key component in the system is the Tutor Support Library, consisting of Instructional Concept Guides…

This manual outlines a process for preparing individualized lesson plans in reading that are consistent across time, to assist in determining the effectiveness of various teaching methods for use with special education students. Part I discusses components of the plan: instructional procedures and target skill, time spent on each activity, the…

Designed to assist reading tutors in the Champaign, Illinois, Unit 4 schools, this illustrated guide offers the following: practical suggestions for relating to children and specific teaching techniques for tutoring reading, an explanation of reading readiness and a series of readiness activities; a chapter on word attack skills that considers…

This bulletin summarizes and interprets some of the main findings of "Survey of the Literature on Methods and Materials in Reading," by Martha J. Maxwell and George Temp, Chapter IV of "The Information Base for Reading: A Critical Review of the Information Base for Current Assumptions Regarding the Status of Instruction and Achievement in Reading…

Constructivism refers to a collection of educational practices that are student-focused, meaning-based, process-oriented, interactive, and responsive to student personal interests and needs. In contrast, instructionism refers to a collection of educational practices that are teacher-focused, skill-based, product-oriented, non-interactive, and…

The lessons included in this collection were written by California Polytechnic State University Reading Specialist Credential candidates in the Salinas Cohort Project of 1992 as partial fulfillment for an education course titled "Bilingual Special Education Reading Problems." Each lesson is research-based. A rationale describes the…

This guide is intended to assist teachers and volunteer tutors who are teaching adults and teenagers to read. The nature and extent of the adult illiteracy problem and the process of learning to read are discussed in the first chapter. The characteristics that are desirable in basic reading tutors and those that are encountered in adult learners…