Presents five ideas for helping second through fifth graders make important gains in reading fluency, including: model fluent reading; do repeated readings in class; promote phrased reading in class; enlist tutors to help out; and have a reader's theater in class. A sidebar offers poetry books for repeated and phrased readings. (SM)

The present study investigated the reading development of small groups of learners making the transition from intentional decoding to fluent reading. The research focused on the relative effectiveness of repeated and wide reading as a means of developing reading fluency. It also looked at the importance of expressive, or prosodic, reading in…

Keeping periodic track of the progress English language learners (ELLs) are making in their second language acquisition skills is essential. Learning a second language is a complex process. It's important for educators to gauge each student's abilities and skills regularly; each English language learner will acquire second language knowledge and…

Although fluency instruction is an essential part of teaching reading, there is limited information on providing this type of instruction with students who have physical disabilities. This article examines three case studies across two students, one with cerebral palsy and the other with both arthrogryposis and spina bifida. In the first study,…

This study investigated the differences in four components of phonological awareness (i.e., judgment, deletion, blending, and substitution) and early reading ability across reading levels, and the correlation between phonological awareness (PA) and early reading ability in low and average-achievement groups. 27 students with reading difficulties…

An extensive research base on beginning reading acquisition and reading difficulties, developed over the past few decades, has important implications for the teaching of reading. Unfortunately, much of this research does not appear to be reaching teachers, whose knowledge is essential for scientific findings about reading to benefit children. This…

"Read Naturally" is designed to improve reading fluency using a combination of books, audiotapes, and computer software. According to the developer's web site, this program has three main strategies: repeated reading of text for developing oral reading fluency, teacher modeling of story reading, and systematic monitoring of student…

Guided oral reading fluency instruction is a research-validated strategy for improving reading achievement. This article addresses ways to individualize guided oral reading fluency instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders using behavioral principles. In addition, the article explains how to use data to set goals and monitor…

While the critical importance of phonological awareness (segmental phonology) to reading ability is well established, the potential role of prosody (suprasegmental phonology) in reading development has only recently been explored. This study examined the relationship between children's prosodic skills and reading ability. Hierarchical multiple…

Zero-order correlation coefficients show significant relationships between orthography, phonology, rapid naming, visual and auditory memory, and reading and spelling for 143 second through sixth graders. Although coefficients ranged from 0.05 to 0.71, most were statistically significant (65 out of 78). In addition, multiple regression analyses…

The "Teaching Reading Sourcebook, Second Edition" is a comprehensive reference about reading instruction. Organized according to the elements of explicit instruction (what? why? when? and how?), the "Sourcebook" includes both a research-informed knowledge base and practical sample lesson models. It teaches the key elements of an effective reading…

This study utilized early reading assessment data from a randomized trial of 210 urban and rural schools in Texas to examine contextual effects on risk prediction in first and second grade. The primary objective was to examine the roles of (a) individual differences, (b) the grade 1 classroom, and (c) the pairing of first and second grade teachers…

Many students continue to display reading difficulties beyond the elementary grades. Among these, a disproportionate number are students of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. Teaching foundational literacy skills is necessary to impart to these students that which they missed in the early grades. By combining best practices…

Appealing to children of all learning abilities, this book provides fun and effective ways to strengthen reading fluency and comprehension; engaging and motivating activities that reinforce word-family concepts; 20 full-page, full-color transparencies of the poems; 17 pages of reproducibles; and independent, small group, whole group, and extension…

This paper discusses a micro-study within an intervention project, conducted in four London primary schools, to enhance the spoken language skills of reception children. There were 60 children in each of the intervention and comparison groups. The focus here is to explore a classroom assessment of young children's oral narrative skills. Effective…