Despite the traditional problems posed by word pronunciation and etymology, a system of spelling instruction which takes into account some of the following suggestions should prove helpful to teachers at both the elementary and secondary school levels: (1) make children word-conscious--anything which makes the pupil look at and think about a word…

The extent to which intralist similarity affects kindergarten pupils' rate of acquisition, word recognition skills, and tendency to generalize responses to similar words was investigated. The subjects were 54 children from a semirural elementary school who had had no formal training in letter recognition. Three acquisition lists were used to…

Shows that subjects receiving the most "overlearning" (repetitive instruction) remembered the most words, suggesting a linear relationship between overlearning and retention. (RL)

Discusses what is meant by meaningful learning, the conditions necessary for meaningful learning to occur, the importance of vocabulary instruction to comprehension, and how to insure that vocabulary instruction is meaningful. (HOD)

Discusses three principles that characterize effective vocabulary instruction (contextual and definitional information, active processing, and multiple exposures) and describes how these principles can be used to modify and improve existing methods of teaching word meanings. (HOD)

Examines the role of various word features (versatile letter combinations) and basal text factors (word repetitions) in the developing word recognition skills of 93 first-grade students. Indicates that the text to which children are exposed early in first grade may differentially shape their word identification strategies. (HOD)

This study describes a program designed to increase student achievement in reading. The targeted population consisted of two first grade classes and one second grade class in a small central Illinois community. The median household income was in the lower range. Evidence of the existence of the problem included the April 2000 standard testing…

Discusses techniques for testing reading of "sight" passages. (HW)

Describes a method for instructing students in the proper use and understanding of words in music books. (RK)

Presents opinions of leaders in the field of reading instruction, along with experimental evidence, concerning the teaching of affixes as an aspect of reading instruction. (VJ)