Presents a research-based, classroom tested assessment tool, the Classroom Fluency Snapshot (CFS). Presents the case of one classroom in which a teacher uses the CFS as a pre- and post-assessment. Shares rich classroom examples, details of the teacher's interpretation, and instructional decision making along with ideas for instruction. (SG)

Compares the self-perception (specifically in terms of writing) of fourth- and fifth-grade students whose teachers used a writing workshop approach with that of students whose teachers used a traditional approach. Suggests that individual teachers are more important than strategies or approaches in affecting the writer self-perception of…

Describes a program where at-risk fifth-grade students were treated to a writing program that utilized prewriting activities to see if their written expression and writing anxiety would improve. Compares students' before and after papers utilizing their holistic scores on written expression. Demonstrates that student writing anxiety can be lowered…

Discusses how students read and discuss four selections from the Junior Great Books series, with sixth graders using the "Questioning the Author" approach, and seventh graders using the "Great Books" approach. Reveals that students in the "Questioning the Author" discussions provided longer recalls, and the recalls included more of the complex…

Evaluates five less-skilled readers in grades five and six. Uses a word-meaning acquisition task before and after instructional intervention to assess the effectiveness of students' process of deriving word meaning from context. Concludes that all five students improved on every component of the task. (SC)

Assesses preservice and inservice reading teachers' literature knowledge and their skill in analyzing literature for middle/upper grades. Indicates that half of undergraduates knew only half of the literary terms and were unable to analyze either the story or poem adequately. Notes that graduate students fared better. Concludes teachers may have…

Investigates the influence of four types of predictions on the story understanding of sixth graders. Asks prediction questions, prediction plus justification questions, prediction plus review questions, or no questions. Analyzes retellings to determine information percentage included from original story. Indicates that differences in what students…

Describes development and validation of the Reading Strategy Use (RSU) scale which assesses cognitive and metacognitive strategy use. Assesses discriminant validity of the components of metacognition and cognitive strategy use. Confirms, through several studies, validity and dimensional nature of the scale. Finds that the RSU scale shows high…

Investigates possible gender bias in the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) in relation to reading skills. Administers the SIT and the Diagnostic Reading Scales (DRS) to 66 subjects age 8.5 to 13.5 years. Indicates the SIT was a statistically significant predictor of DRS subtests that assess oral reading, silent reading, and listening comprehension.…

Surveys 315 fourth- and fifth-grade inner city and suburban children from Virginia and Ohio about their "most favorite" book, with titles categorized by literary genre. Finds little overlap with individual titles but emergence of some genre patterns--girls favoring realistic fiction and boys selecting fantasy; inner city children selecting fantasy…

States that reading educators are becoming concerned with aliteracy and that research is only now focusing on reading habits. Studies 39 avid readers and non-avid readers to examine home and personal factors related to leisure reading habits. Discovers differences for some aspects of reading attitudes, for motivation, and for several home factors.…

Explores whether fourth-grade students who were taught specific research-based strategies using a transactional strategies instruction approach would improve in comprehension achievement and would be more engaged during reading. Notes that the treatment group was taught predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing strategies; and the…

Investigates the effect on reading comprehension when reading shorter and easier narrative text and longer and more difficult texts on the printed page as compared to reading the same narrative texts using interactive CD-ROM software displayed by the computer. Finds that reading from computers increased comprehension when subjects read longer and…

Discusses separating good readers from poor readers. Defines strategies for accomplishing academic tasks. Finds that poor readers lack appropriate strategies to correct their comprehension problems. Reports results of interviews with 60 fifth-grade expert readers. Concludes that through direct, systematic teaching and guided practice of reading…

Provides evidence to suggest that direction in story structure benefits the recall of low socioeconomic sixth-grade children. (FL)