Explains Fish Bowl, an activity for upper elementary and middle school students to share what they read and a method for teachers to assess student understanding of a book. Discusses benefits of reading aloud a summary of the book, reading a passage from the book, asking appropriate questions, and answering questions. (LRW)

A popular response among high school teachers and leaders facing students reading far below grade level, the authors claim, is to adopt back-to-basics packaged programs that focus on discrete skills with little attention to critical reading and writing. The authors express concern that reliance on such programs keeps older struggling readers from…

Out-of-school programs provide a context for enriching academic experiences. This study describes a 12-week after-school reading program, Project Expanding Horizons, which is based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model-Reading (SEM-R) framework. SEM-R has three phases: exposure, supported independent reading, and choice. The exposure phase is…

Due in part to conflicting opinions and research results, the practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) in schools has been questioned. After a frustrating experience with SSR, the author of this article began a data-driven decision-making process to gain new insights on how to structure silent reading in a classroom, including a comparison…

A practicum was designed to motivate first-grade students in a rural community in the southeastern United States to read independently for pleasure in the classroom and at home. A whole language program was implemented which did not include the use of basal readers or workbooks. Children's literature was the primary source used for reading…

A study tested the hypothesis that students who were required to read a book of their choice for 15 minutes per night would have a more positive attitude toward reading than similar students who did not have that assignment. The Estes Attitude Scale for reading was given to two classes (high group and low group) of sixth graders in central…

Since 1945, the proportion of literate adults in Korea has risen dramatically. One of the factors that has facilitated this rise is the current use of the "Hangul" alphabetic script, which is very consistent in its representation of sounds. Although the "Hangul" script was invented in 1443, it was not accepted officially in…

THE EFFECTIVE READER SHOULD DEVELOP WORD ATTACK SKILLS, AN ADEQUATE VOCABULARY, AND THE ABILITY TO ADJUST READING RATE TO THE PURPOSE FOR READING. THESE SKILLS ARE INTRODUCED AND REINFORCED AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL WITH INCREASING DEGREES OF REFINEMENT FROM YEAR TO YEAR BY BOTH READING TEACHERS AND CONTENT AREA TEACHERS. LESS OBVIOUS BUT EQUALLY VITAL…

The effectiveness of individual adult-child conferences in increasing the independent reading of elementary school children was investigated. During an 8-week baseline period, data on the number and difficulty level of books read by students in grades 2, 4, and 6 were gathered. Subjects in the upper one-third of reading-value scores (difficulty…

The implementation of individual adult-child conferences to increase independent reading is described. Implementation procedures evolved from research experience with elementary school children over a 3-year period. The results of three studies involving two inner-city elementary schools are briefly summarized, indicating the value of…

An elementary school reading-interest project was designed to overcome summer learning loss and to foster an interest in independent reading. The major strategy, "The Reading Interest Passport," consisted of nine independent reading contracts leading to "badges." This approach was selected after consideration of cost, coordination with ongoing…

Discusses the use of performance contracts to teach reading to secondary school students in classes classified as "corrective,""developmental," and "enrichment." (HOD)

Students' book choices and discussions during independent reading were studied in a combined fifth/sixth grade classroom. The meanings students and the teacher gave to the practice of independent, "free-choice" reading were studied, and the influences that shaped students' choices of books were explored. Independent reading is actually social in…

Describes a community college's skill building courses that use videotapes for reading and study skills instruction. (TO)