A study discusses the effects of a second year of one-on-one intervention on the literacy development of struggling second graders. Twenty-six children participated in the study and were assigned to either a second year of intervention or a control group that received no further intervention services. Participants in the intervention group…

A combination of drills, quizzes, journal writing, and creative class activities was used in a summer program designed to develop the vocabulary of gifted students. (RL)

Describes an informal spelling assessment that teachers can use to understand students' level of orthographic knowledge at the beginning of the school year. Reports that the results of this informal testing allow teachers to group students for word study and directed literacy instruction. (MG)

The purpose of this article is to describe the professional development plan for an elementary school receiving federal funding through the Reading Excellence Act (REA). The Reading Excellence Act provided the school with a two-year plan for literacy improvement. During the first year of the grant, assessment-driven instruction and flexible…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this fifth-grade level module teaches word attack skills for technical terms used by pipefitters, using word parts and root words. Basic information on structural analysis covers roots, prefixes and suffixes, its limitations, and defining words using structural analysis.…

An action research study detailed a program for improving kindergarten students' alphabet identification. The targeted population consisted of low achieving kindergarten students in a growing, middle class community located in northern Illinois. The students' skill levels were documented through data which revealed a lack of letter recognition and…

The teaching activities presented in this pamphlet present some ways of helping children acquire a few "mechanisms" to support exploration, growth, and search in language learning and, more specifically, in spelling awareness. The pamphlet begins with a discussion of the context for learning strategies to use in exploring language. Then…

Intended for parents of fifth grade children who are participating in Chapter 1 programs, the learning activities in this booklet give children practice with reading and writing. Among the language skills covered are (1) vocabulary in context; (2) phonetic analysis--consonant sounds and letters; (3) structural analysis--root word endings,…

Intended for parents of fourth grade children who are participating in Chapter 1 programs that support basic skills education, the learning activities in this booklet give children practice with reading and writing. Among the language skills covered in the activities are (1) vocabulary (in context, synonyms, antonyms, homophones, homographs,…

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a method for improving the spelling skills of college freshmen. Parallel spelling units were devised, which covered the same minimal skills concepts. After a spelling pretest, the students in the sample could choose to study the material either by classroom drill or by using a self-instructional…

Nineteen children, aged 7 through 17, were pretested, individually tutored in reading for 12 weeks, and posttested in a study to examine the effect of an individualized reading tutorial program on the locus of control and locus of evaluation of children with reading disabilities. A reliable, valid measure of locus of control and locus of…

College freshmen, when confronted with an essay question using broad concepts such as "society,""freedom," and "progress," seldom clarify or define the concepts in their essays before expressing their opinions or solutions. Students who read without interpreting the concepts implied by certain words shortchange the…

Differences in perceptual processes of good and poor readers relevant to single word perception have been studied in a series of experiments. The major differences between good and poor readers have been shown to occur at the level of the single word; other differences occur in knowledge of spelling patterns and ability to make use of letters'…

Based on college students' grade point averages (GPA) and their scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Tests and the Joy Combining Forms Test, a multiple classification analysis of variance was performed to determine the effects of three different methods of vocabulary instruction on student achievement in a reading and study skills course. The…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a point of departure for a coherent program of vocabulary growth. The paper offers three premises for a coherent program of vocabulary growth: (1) vocabulary is best learned as it functions in communication settings, (2) teachers can more effectively stimulate vocabulary growth if they attend more…