Compares a "new" measure for assessing the level of abstraction of textual material with an old measure. Finds some similarity in their assessment of science texts, and finds that the earlier measure may be easier for the nonspecialist to use. Suggests a rule of thumb for practicing teachers. (SR)

Defines the Paired Reading technique and comments upon minor variations. Discusses the background to Paired Reading, and the theoretical framework for the technique. Concludes that its effects are mediated by a number of different factors, and the technique should, therefore, be widely philosophically acceptable. (SR)

Distinguishes between two meanings of literacy that have been conflated: the ability to read and write, and the broader concept of being educated. Presents three arguments: literacy is not social; literacy is not political; and the comprehension part of literacy is a relative matter, while the ability to decode is not. (RS)

Outlines a strategy for resolving disputes between the whole language and phonics camps in reading instruction. Reviews research on the role of context in word recognition, the process of reading acquisition, and analytic versus holistic approaches to reading acquisition. Suggests that the way is clear for whole language advocates to reconstitute…

Discusses four clear contributions of cognitive research that deserve special attention: (1) skilled readers read words rather than skip them; (2) less skilled readers do rely on context; (3) skilled readers use phonology in reading; and (4) children learn to read successfully by learning how their writing system works. (RS)

Distinguishes four phases in the development of sight word reading: prealphabetic, partial alphabetic, full alphabetic, and consolidated alphabetic. Suggests that this system represents the regularities that underlie the written forms of English words that all learners must internalize to build a fully functioning sight vocabulary. (RS)

Discusses research that supports the view that early phonological awareness affects children's ability to exploit the alphabetic system, and so to develop a sublexical route from print to sound to meaning. Discusses implications for teachers. (RS)

Reviews three sorts of converging evidence regarding dyslexic children's phonological processing difficulties: data from studies of spoken language impairments in dyslexic readers, evidence from the analysis of dyslexic reading and spelling skills, and evidence of phonological deficits that vary in severity and extent across the life-span in…

Provides a simple outline of theories addressing orthographic analogies in learning to read. Addresses some misunderstandings of the analogy approach. (RS)

Suggests that abandoning controlled vocabulary texts on the assumption that reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game was wrong. Claims that the current emphasis on strategy instruction, scaffolded reading experiences, and the use of writing to foster letter-sounds may provide good outcomes for those teachers and children who dreaded reading…