Reports on ERIC documents that review research on spelling and that suggest practical activities for spelling instruction. (HOD)

Discusses the need for systematic exploration of claims about the advantages of language experience dictations; recommends that teachers guide the rereading and editing of early dictations to facilitate comprehending behaviors, and that they help children explore writing conventions as their dictations indicate a readiness to learn them. (ET)

Demonstrates briefly the naturalness of dialect variation in American English, examines the implications for reading instruction of recognizing the naturalness of dialects, and provides a list of references for the professional development of teachers of children who speak dialects other than standard English. (ET)

Discusses four linguistic patterns of oral literature that are of special interest to reading teachers, suggests ways that oral literature can be used for skill instruction in beginning and remedial reading, and shows how oral literature can stimulate creativity. (ET)

Describes the planning and organization of an annual book festival held at Tennessee Technological University that introduces children to literature through stage presentations, displays, storytellers, and a wide selection of inexpensive books. (ET)

Reports on a study in which 12 good and 12 poor fourth-grade readers read selections in their original format and with the words in random order; concludes that the results indicate that word identification errors elicited on tests in isolation do not constitute a solid basis for predicting errors in connected text. (ET)

Reviews studies of the relationship between television viewing and children's interest and achievement in reading; points out that the relationship is complex and that further research studies using more sophisticated measures of viewing and reading behavior need to be conducted before conclusions are made. (ET)

Lists and annotates children's books that present Polish folklore and legends, biographies of famous Polish people, personal accounts of life in Poland, and stories about Polish Americans and people living in Poland. (ET)

Presents guidelines for implementing a district-wide reading improvement system, gleaned from the experiences of the Detroit school system. (ET)

Offers suggestions from eight contributors regarding a number of teaching strategies, including a system for individualizing remedial reading instruction, a method for incorporating students' personal experiences in remedial reading instruction, a method for motivating students to read, and activities to prevent summer backsliding in reading…

Demonstrates how writing can grow from the ongoing curriculum by discussing types of writing included in a unit on pets, suggests areas of the curriculum and materials that are good springboards to writing, and describes instructional materials that focus on writing. (ET)

Summarizes types of reading research studies reported in 1970 and in 1980, describes the establishment of the Center for the Study of Reading at the University of Illinois, and notes a research trend away from the testing of programs and toward the development of principles. (ET)

Discusses instructional approaches to content area reading that are described in ERIC documents. Among the areas discussed are prereading activities; strategies to support comprehension as students read; an integrated approach to vocabulary, comprehension, and textbook organization; and kits of materials for integrating reading skills into content…

Groff argues against an IRA (International Reading Association) position statement assertion that no single method is the best for teaching reading, claiming that the phonics method results in the greatest reading achievement. The IRA Board of Directors replies that the position statement appropriately reflects the diverse views about reading held…

Points to the accomplishments of the International Reading Association over the past 25 years and discusses progress that has been made in the achievement of two vital, but sometimes contradictory, goals: providing equal educational opportunity and providing quality education. (ET)