Teaching students how to read is one of the most important tasks in elementary schools. The majority of schools use published basal programs to teach students to read. Several published reviews have indicated that past editions of basal readers did not align with appropriate instruction for beginning level readers. In this study I reviewed five of…

This article focuses on a concept that has rarely been studied in beginning reading research--a child's concept of word in text. Recent examinations of this phenomenon suggest that a child's ability to match spoken words to written words while reading--a concept of word in text--plays a pivotal role in early reading development. In this article,…

Considers how reading and writing experiences gained during the preschool period have enormous effect on children's first learning to read and write. Initiates a cross-cultural dimension to the subject matter from an empirical paradigm. Provides some evidence that emergent literacy is extensible to experiences regardless of linguistic forms. (SG)

Encourages teachers to model the thinking processes that take place as one begins to read and write. Notes that when a teacher thinks aloud as he or she writes, children can better grasp the inner dialogue that occurs. Explains components of the guided writing process and discusses simple suggestions as well as the benefits for early childhood…

Reports and discusses students' progress through a 15-week reading course for preservice elementary teachers. Indicates that this group of students demonstrated positive changes in their attitudes/beliefs in the first stage. Notes that the students in Stage 2 differed in evaluations of their field experience, their lesson planning skills, and…

Examines the effectiveness of strategy training for younger readers. Discusses strategies for development of comprehension, including making predictions (both before and during reading), question generating, and summarization. Offers examples of how these strategies can be embedded through literature-circle discussions and gives a suggested…

Notes the California's Reading Task Force's heavy emphasis on phonemic awareness (PA) evaluation and training. Argues that although evidence shows that phonemic awareness will emerge by simply reading, California's school libraries--ranked near last in the nation--would require a massive commitment to rise to the task. Argues (in an ironic tone)…

Applies the Canonical Story Grammar Model to a major beginning reader computer series. Analyzes the teaching manual and interviews the series' representative. Finds that the stories did not contain adequate story grammar. Notes weaknesses in the manual analysis and interviews. (RS)

Reminds teachers that to impart the wonderful gift of reading to children or adults gives them the power to expand their horizons, not just for a day but for the remainder of their lives. (RS)

Presents results of two experiments which measured difficulty of learning vowel and consonant sounds and revealed significantly more correct responses for consonant sounds than for vowel sounds. (JM)

Presents the results of research indicating that it is possible to prescreen for predicting the optimum reading instructional approach for each child. (RB)

Argues that kinesthetic activities should be focused in three areas of concern: word recognition, left to right progression, and coordination and visual discrimination. (RB)

Proposes a diacritical marking system for occasional use in initial reading instruction. (RB)

Reviews the philosophy of the language experience approach to reading instruction and presents a condensation of a lesson that was developed in a basic reading class. (RB)