Based on the 1998 Arkansas English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks, this sample curriculum model for grade eight language arts is divided into sections focusing on writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's stated goals are to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different…

This report describes a program for improving reading comprehension skills in order to heighten understanding of materials covered in class and performance on activities and exams. The targeted population consisted of first-, fifth-, and eighth-grade students in a large, lower- to middle-class community located in central Illinois. The problems in…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated whether the Accelerated Reader program meets its claim to motivate and improve reading achievement for all students, including those with special needs. The Accelerated Reader program is a computer-based reading management system that includes a database of thousands of books ranging…

This digest summarizes ways to help young American Indian and Alaska Native children become fluent readers. There are numerous reading intervention programs, each with its own set of claims and counter-claims. Phonics approaches are designed for standard English speakers, and students with limited English abilities end up parroting what they read…

Uses response journals to explore the ways fourth-grade students respond to literature. Finds factors necessary to mesh text and a reader's personal experiences: a classroom atmosphere that encourages risk-taking; daily opportunities to read and respond; a wide variety of choices in reading materials; modeling of good reading strategies; and…

Describes a project conducted in a reading methods course for preservice elementary education students to model how technology can be incorporated into the curriculum to facilitate learning. Preservice teachers collaborated with practicing teachers via electronic mail to gain a greater understanding of different philosophies of reading.…

The U.S. Secretary of Education describes the Department of Education's READ*WRITE*NOW! Initiative which aims to increase literacy rates by encouraging early and frequent reading as well as summer reading for children and youth, including those with learning disabilities. The need for a closer relationship between research and practice in reading…

This article describes the Advanced Language Structures program, a language program for students in grades K-12 who are gifted or gifted/at-risk or who have dyslexia/learning disabilities. The program emphasizes prefixes, suffixes, and Latin/Greek roots to provide students with strategies for reading and spelling higher-level words and developing…

This article presents an overview of phonological awareness, print awareness, and oral language development and discusses the critical role they play in emergent literacy. Recent research is reviewed and strategies are provided for promoting emergent literacy through each of these areas in the preschool classroom. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study investigated the effectiveness of a 4-second time delay instructional package and language of instruction on the learning of English sight words and incidental information by 4 Puerto Rican middle school students with mental retardation. Both Spanish and English time delay conditions were equally effective and efficient for 3 participants.…

Investigates differences in reading acquisition processes between Dutch and Turkish children learning to read Dutch. Finds that both groups rely on comparable reading strategies. Presents a structural model to examine interactions between the various reading processes in Dutch. Suggests that children learning to read in a second language should…

The recent emphasis on content-based English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction is motivated by research showing that English proficiency does not correlate with academic success. Case studies of 15 ESL students in content classes suggest that a lack of academic success may be the result of a lack of effective academic skills. (Author/VWL)

A study involving 199 eighth graders in British Columbia assessed the use of conceptual, analogical, and outline methods of organization of textual material concerning computer crime and prevention. Findings indicate that simple presentation of a genuine advance organizer does not guarantee that students will use it effectively. (TJH)

Western and Soviet views of memory-related performance are synthesized. Whether middle childhood-aged students comprehend better with meaning-based (involuntary) strategies due to the importance of semantic focus, and whether adolescent students comprehend better with memory-oriented (voluntary) strategies were studied with 243 students in grades…

Reports on a study of predictive judgments and evaluation methods among 33 elementary teachers. Finds that inaccuracy in teachers' judgments of students is due partly to inappropriate use of consensus or comparative performance data. (CFR)