Two programs designed to analyze reading selections and post a grade level based on number of syllables and phonetic make-up are presented. The materials are written in BASIC for a PET computer. The program, designed to analyze the phonics, is thoroughly documented. (MP)

First-graders taught reading by phonics or language experience approach were compared on their ability to orally decode lists of words identified as either real or nonsense words. The two groups did not differ in overall correct responses, nor were their strategies influenced by the "real/nonsense" directions. (SJL)

Results refute current claims that words are read aloud by retrieving a single pronunciation from memory and that pseudowords are pronounced by using abstract spelling-to-sound rules. Instead, it appears that words and pseudowords are pronounced using similar kinds of orthographic and phonological knowledge. (Author/CP)

Concludes that, of several reading readiness factors, knowledge of alphabet letter names is the best predictor of phonics skills other than vowel recognition and of reading abilities involving words in insolation, and that number knowledge is the best predictor of reading abilities involving words and syntax. (FL)

Describes a pictogram system in which letters are made to look like human and animal characters as a way of teaching phonics to children; tells how teachers have imaginatively implemented the system through activities in such areas as drama, singing, and story telling. (GT)

A 3-year study of the views of the parents of 18 African American preschoolers found parents in strong support for explicit instruction in "the three Rs," with an emphasis on phonics instruction. The need to include parents in the dialog about pedagogy and in making instructional decisions for their children is addressed. (CR)

Blending and spelling training were compared to determine which intervention would improve the decoding skills of two first-grade boys with learning disabilities. Although neither intervention proved superior, the children met the learning criterion with both interventions and demonstrated both maintenance and generalization of their skills. (DB)

Discusses the phonetic module that increases the rate of information flow, establishes the parity between sender and receiver, and provides for the natural development of phonetic structures in the individual. Cites evidence and function of this specialization and architectural relations between the two classes of modules. (Author/RT)

Five-year-olds learned to associate three- or four-letter abbreviations, or cues, with spoken words, in which one of the letters in the cue corresponded to a phoneme that was articulated similarly or dissimilarly. Children found the phonetic cues easier to learn than control cues, suggesting that children are sensitive to the phonological and…

Reviews "Thematic Units: An Integrated Approach to Teaching Science and Social Studies" (Fredericks, Meinbach, and Rothlein); "Using Poetry across the Curriculum: A Whole Language Approach" (Chatton); "Getting Down to Cases: Learning to Teach with Case Studies" (Wassermann); "Phonic Phacts" (Goodman); and "English As a Second Language: 25…

This article proposes that meaning and form (the sound-letter correspondences) are both important in beginning reading, but that initially they should be taught separately. Support for this position is provided, and a two-stage model of preliteracy development is offered, with the first stage emphasizing meaning and the second stage emphasizing…

Six basal reader programs were examined in an effort to address questions raised by an earlier study of kindergarten reading instruction. It was determined that basal reading material did not allow teachers to offer flexible individual instruction to children and that first grade preprimers had an erratic prerequsite reliance on the phonics taught…

This article examines characteristics of low-performing readers, especially their poor word recognition skills; compares approaches to teaching word recognition to slow-learning children; identifies characteristics of successful methods of teaching word recognition; and concludes that phonics-based, thoroughly systematic, direct instruction is…

Two blending strategies for decoding words (pausing and not pausing between successive sounds) were compared with nine preschool children. Once mastered, segmenting by not pausing engendered high and sustained levels of word identification. Other findings indicated that sound identification abilities were necessary but not sufficient for decoding.…

Reviews significant findings from the author's research and speculates on differential responses to his work. Argues that appropriately chosen direct instruction in the spelling-sound code is the reality that will enable the romance with whole language to be a long-lasting one and that educators must let scientific evidence answer questions about…