The theme of this conference defined reading as the process of creating meaning for all sensed stimuli; reading is a broad form of behavior, not limited to interacting with the written forms of human language. With this definition as a foundation, the articles in this bicentennial report develop a phrase taken from one of Thomas Jefferson's…

This curriculum guide suggests activities for teaching basic reading skills to elementary school students. The activities are grouped according to six major skill areas: reading readiness, word recognition, word analysis, word meaning, content reading, and reading comprehension. Within each group, the activities are listed according to the grade…

This paper, presented at a 1976 conference on the theory and practice of beginning reading instruction, introduces the theory that reading development occurs in stages patterned after Piaget's cognitive development stages. The stages include the prereading stage (until the age of six years); the decoding stage (first/second grade); the stage of…

Kindergarten teachers should be concerned with the development of the child physically, psychologically, and socially. The development of readiness for reading should be part of the child's day-by-day activities in the kindergarten. Structured prereading activities should be conducted in informal, game-like ways. They should involve the active…

As part of a series of manuals prepared for reading education workshops for parents and educators, this booklet focuses on reading readiness activities. Divided into three sections, the booklet describes activities for parents to use with their children that develop speaking and listening vocabularies, inquisitiveness for learning, and ability to…

This booklet contains suggestions for methods of instruction to improve the reading skills of students in developmental reading programs at all grade levels. The first chapter of the booklet provides a statement of philosophy, objectives, and characteristics of a developmental reading program. The second chapter considers reading readiness as a…

The importance of parental attention in the facilitation of prereading skill development is examined in this paper. The first section presents a historical perspective on attitudes toward early childhood education, touching on the views of educators of past centuries and on recent trends in early childhood education in the United States. The…

THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF A BASAL READER PROGRAM, A MODIFIED LINGUISTIC APPROACH, AND A LINGUISTIC READER PROGRAM AS MEASURED BY THE READING ACHIEVEMENT OF 469 CHILDREN IN 21 CLASSES AT THE END OF FIRST GRADE. ACHIEVEMENT COMPARIONS WERE ALSO MADE ON THE BASES OF (1) SEX, (2) INTELLIGENCE, AND (3) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN READING READINESS…

A study was conducted to explore the relationship of race and socioeconomic status to the learning of reading skills among ninth-grade black and white students in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, city and county schools. Each student was given diagnostic reading tests by timed, untimed, and auditory administration. Socioeconomic status was measured by…

This document provides an overview, in table form, of research pertaining to the effects of reading aloud to preschool children, and stresses the important benefits that reading aloud to children has on language development, reading interest, and social attitudes and values. A reference list is included to allow teachers to locate the 12 original…

Data were collected in a teacher effectiveness study on the interaction of teachers and first grade students while the students participated in reading groups within intact classrooms. The teacher behavior variables were then related to students achievement using three units of analysis: class means, reading group means within classes, and student…

The second of a two-volume set, this collection of 11 papers concentrates on current developments in the teaching of reading, such as translating commonly accepted reading theories or assumptions into classroom practices, maintaining an input of structured, meaningful, rhythmic language in an independent reading program, and relating reading and…

This booklet lists skills and activities that may be used by parents and teachers to insure the success of each child in reading. Designed for grades four through seven, the booklet suggests procedures for parental assistance, determining reading readiness and reading levels, developing basic reading skills, outlining a reading lesson for skills…

A volume of "The Dimensions in Early Learning Series," this monograph explores beginning reading. The introduction defines reading, and chapters I and II review reading development and discuss theory and hierarchy of reading development. How to evaluate reading achievement, ways to teach reading, and what parents can do to help are subjects…

A school program for disadvantaged youngsters should be like that in any good elementary school but with added compensatory features. Such innovations include reduced class size, a stabilized experienced staff, special services and resources, and a parent education program. Evaluation procedures should be continuous and instructionally oriented,…