A status report on the use of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) is presented by the i.t.a. Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization which conducts and supports i.t.a. programs and research. In reviewing the 70 studies which compare i.t.a. programs to traditional orthography (T.O.) programs, it has been found that two-thirds of the…

This book was written to answer the questions most frequently asked by teachers who need information and suggestions in specific areas of reading. The material is organized in three main sections: readiness and beginning reading, intermediate reading, and reading for the academically or culturally different child. Each section includes study…

Focuses on seven errors made by teachers of remedial reading in elementary, middle, and junior high school programs. Suggests corrections and acknowledges teachers who treat reading as a skill that can be learned and refined through reading. (JK)

Increasingly, foreign nationals living in Japan are sending their children to Japanese elementary schools. This requires that the children's native language be taught outside of school, most often at home. While teaching oral language is not difficult for parents, teaching reading requires different skills. Some difficulties in this process are…

Primary teachers completed the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and Primary Teacher Questionnaire to determine their endorsement of developmentally appropriate practice. Results indicated a substantial congruence between the constructs underlying the notion of developmentally appropriate practice and those that are fundamental to a whole…

Surveys research on teaching spelling and describes methods to help poor spellers. Proposes a short course using 20 minutes of class time three times a week to help students develop skills in the following areas: sensory development, mnemonic devices, word groups, phonics, and rules. (RS)

The effectiveness of the "Laubach Way to Reading" program was examined with four adolescents with learning disabilities who were reading below the fifth-grade level. Students made significant gains on basic reading skills and comprehension. Students' success depended on being provided with supplemental lists of more challenging words…

Discusses efforts to achieve higher rates of adult literacy and pedagogical approaches to learning to read. Describes definitions of literacy, school standards, and possible reasons for high rates of adult illiteracy. Discusses teaching methods, particularly the Nellie Thomas method, which has had success in prison literacy programs. (JB)

Five generalizations for reading instruction with disabled and normal readers are presented: (1) caring, positive relationship between teacher and student; (2) the role of rereading and daily reading; (3) appropriate materials; (4) interest as a springboard to learning; and (5) the unification of instruction. (DB)

Elementary and middle school teachers surveyed in rural South Dakota indicated that a combination of phonics, skills, and holistic instruction occurred most often in their reading programs. This suggests that most school districts take an eclectic approach to reading instruction and use the best components from various approaches. (LP)

Reports on a nationwide survey of instructional beliefs and practices of elementary public school teachers. Finds that teachers generally do not assume a polar, either/or approach to phonics and whole language, but instead provide children a balanced eclectic program involving both reading skill instruction and immersion in enriched literacy…

Analyzes word recognition instruction in four first-grade classrooms. Finds that: differential instruction may be helpful in first grade; children who enter first grade with low literacy benefit from early and heavy exposure to phonics; and a structured phonics curriculum that includes both onsets and rimes and sounding and blending phonemes…

A reading-specific multiple classification task was designed that required children to classify printed words along phonological and semantic dimensions simultaneously. Reading-specific multiple classification skill made a unique contribution to children's reading comprehension over contributions made by age, domain-general multiple classification…

This paper presents two case studies that illustrate the multiple uses of word sorts, a word study phonics technique. Case study children were Sara, a second grader, who had difficulty with reading basic words and John, a third grader, who had difficulty with spelling basic words. Multiple baseline designs were employed to study the effects of…

This research analyses possible advantages of using schematic drawings with dyslexic readers in a transparent orthography (i.e. Spanish language). To assess the usefulness of such drawings, the procedure consisted of comparing latency times (LT) for familiar words and pseudo words in a naming task. The experimental group was formed by dyslexic…