Noting that children's experiences at home during the preschool years set the stage for reading success, this guide provides the initiative, principles, and activities for reading to children from early months to 7 years to improve their literacy acquisition. The nine chapters are as follows: (1) "Reading: An Overview of the Discovery…

This booklet focuses on the reading literacy test scores of students in the grade levels where most 9- and 14-year-olds were to be found in 32 national systems of education. Data were collected from 9,073 schools, 10,518 teachers, and 210,059 students. The booklet describes the achievement levels of carefully selected probability samples of…

A study examined the results and effectiveness of the second year of the Reading Recovery program in New Hampshire. With the 29 Reading Recovery teachers from the 1990-91 class, 21 teachers in the class trained in school year 1991-92, and the two teacher leaders, a total of 52 teachers taught Reading Recovery during the 1991-92 school year. A…

The Children's Art Carnival (CAC) is an intensive holistic reading and reading-oriented arts program for Chapter 1-eligible students who have scored below the cut-off point on a standardized reading test or have performed poorly in the classroom. This report presents the findings of evaluations of the 1990-91 and 1991-92 programs by the Office of…

This practicum involved parents in academic workshops and home visits to help parents learn how to assist their children with school work and assignments. Workshops were set up to teach parents how to: (1) communicate with teachers; (2) help their children with reading and mathematics homework and skills; (3) set up study programs for their…

Intended for educators and program planners, this guide provides program information and planning ideas for maximizing opportunities to increase the basic skills of undereducated children, youth, and adults. It is suitable for use by those with or without expertise in the basic skills areas of reading, math, writing, and oral communication.…

Six weeks were spent working with a five-year-old kindergarten child who had an excellent understanding of sound/symbol relationships but did not know how to read for meaning. A variety of techniques was used to help the child develop reading strategies and increase confidence: directed reading-thinking activity in week one; student retelling of a…

Secondary and postsecondary students who use the read-answer-discuss strategy while studying read ineffectively and do not comprehend or retain main ideas. A study examined the effectiveness of (1) the Directed Reading-Thinking Activity, (2) conceptual mapping, (3) a combination of those strategies, and (4) reading and underlining main ideas as…

Defining speed listening as a technique allowing the listener to consciously determine the appropriate presentation rate for prerecorded materials consistent with personal objectives rather than with those of the original speaker, this paper reviews studies that support the use of speed reading in instructional settings. The paper examines…

The majority of current college freshmen see no place in their lives for reading as an opportunity for intellectual or emotional enjoyment. They read only the most utilitarian texts--appliance instructions or road signs, for example. A teacher cannot "make" students read anything, but he or she can help them find ways to like reading;…

Created by the Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS) organization to combat adult illiteracy, this guide offers suggestions for enhancing local adult literacy programs or establishing new ones. Following an introduction to the problem of illiteracy and a call for a national effort to alleviate it, the guide focuses on how to begin a literacy program,…

A study tested the relative effectiveness of four methods of teaching remedial reading students (grades 6 through 11) how to identify the main idea of expository paragraphs. Forty-seven students were divided according to treatment and were given the same pool of 125 paragraphs about geology and weather to read, and were given pretests and…

Designed to help teachers encourage positive student attitudes toward reading on their own, this guide provides a developmental reading framework to introduce students to books beyond the basal series and to enhance reading motivation. Following an introduction, the guide covers the following subjects: (1) goals and objectives for both teachers…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effect of writing instruction on reading comprehension and story writing ability; (2) eighth grade remedial students' concepts about reading and writing; (3) the effect of a…

Intended for parents and reading teachers, this annotated bibliography contains materials concerning parent involvement with reading. The bibliography provides suggestions and information for professionals and parents concerning (1) home activities that assist the development of general school and reading readiness, (2) support of the school…