A sample of 48 second grade and fifth grade children, containing equal numbers of high and low ability readers, participated in a study that explored the degree to which oral and silent reading represented the same cognitive process for different age and ability level children. Their reading rates and comprehension scores for both oral and silent…

Techniques for developing and using informal reading inventories are listed. Concepts and purposes of the inventory are suggested, and reading levels are defined. Suggestions are offered for individual and group inventories, material preparation and analysis, question formation and selection, methods of scoring and recording, and methods of…

Experience background deficiencies and a combination of several factors contributing to inattention in reading can cause children to be verbalizers. The causes of and some corrections for these two problems are discussed. Since reading is essentially a process of reconstructing one's experiences back to the printed symbols, background deficiencies…

A personalized reading program for children in the elementary grades is described. The program consists of three interrelated parts: self-selection and sharing of books, skill development according to individual needs, and individual teacher-pupil discussion and evaluation conferences. Sustained silent reading, oral reading once a week to the…

Techniques for developing and using informal reading inventories are listed. Concepts and purposes of the inventory are suggested, and reading levels are defined. Suggestions are offered for individual and group inventories, material preparation and analysis, question formation and selection, methods of scoring and recording, and methods of…

The "right to read" as a world and United States goal necessitates the maximum development of each student's reading ability, and this requires individual diagnosis and an eclectic approach to individual instruction. Among the skills which must continue to be developed beyond the primary grades are word-attack skills, vocabulary and concept…

A series of studies was performed to explore the possibility of substituting listening for reading requirements, with special reference to marginally literate Category IV personnel. Time-compressed speech was evaluated as a means of producing listening rates comparable to silent reading rates. The results indicated that, for both average and low…

Offers teachers and parents practical suggestions for helping children to begin reading naturally. Looks at specific strategies for helping young children to learn to read, particularly a built-in success procedure emphasizing nonvisual aspects of reading. (RWB)

This presentation describes how to use reading to improve second language acquisition. Part 1, "Building Awareness of Reading Habits and Attitudes," has students report their habits and attitudes about reading in English and their native language and recognize the importance of reading for improving English skills. Part 2, "Choosing a Book," has…

Extensive reading (ER) programs involve students in silently reading large quantities of material. Research suggests that extensive reading is associated with gains in first and second language proficiency. Further, extensive reading can help learners develop a reading habit and increase their level of autonomy. This paper begins with a discussion…

Extensive reading (ER) programs involve students in silently reading large quantities of materials. These materials are usually at a level that permits students to gain at least a fair understanding of what they are reading without outside help. Such programs' benefits for first- and second-language (L1 and L2) learners are well documented (Coady,…

Illustrates applicability of scientific scrutiny to secondary education by demonstrating how to relate to "natural" language instruction to student attainments, how variations in grading practices affect student performance, how knowledge gained in recitation is related to that gained in silent study, how to determine whether education…

Compares the reading strategies used by a high achieving English as a second language (ESL) student and a low-achieving native speaker of English during silent reading and concludes that the major differences between the strategies of the two were in the contextual area of reading. (FL)

Presents a case study of a learning disabilities teacher who struggled with the traditional instructional approaches and who adopted a literature-based, whole language program. Presents the teachers' reflective comments along with references from the literature of whole language researchers and theorists. (RS)

Describes a sustained silent reading program in a 9th-grade reading class of 60 students, most of them at-risk students. Finds that, on average, students improved 3.9 grade levels in their reading. (SR)