Discusses the relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension. Cites recent research supporting the utility of both direct and indirect vocabulary instruction. (MM)

Advocates the development of oral language along with emergent literacy. Notes that classroom environment is essential to oral language development, and suggests ways to support children's language development, such as providing firsthand experiences with their environment, and focusing on materials and events relevant to their lives. (MM)

Discusses the findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress 1985-86 survey of American students' computer competence, focusing on findings of interest to reading teachers who use computers. (MM)

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using oral or silent reading rates to evaluate reading ability. Argues that although there are potential problems with measuring reading rates, it can be a useful way of documenting students' progress. (MM)

Discusses connections between play and reading at the primary level. Notes that sociodramatic play has the clearest link to reading because it involves imagination and manipulation of time and reality. Argues that play facilitates reading when it involves both the manipulation of symbols and acts of reading and writing. (MM)

Describes the following teaching ideas: note writing; books supplementing a unit on measuring; parents' activities calendars; quick phonics inventory; map reading; language experience chart stories; predicting activities with titles; summer mail for learning disabled students; role playing; teaching guides for novels; sentence transformation; and…

Describes the Concepts About Print test (CAP), a test designed to examine young children's knowledge of written language. Discusses variations of the CAP for other languages, including Spanish, Walpiri (an Australian aboriginal language), and Braille. (MM)

Examines the phenomenon of code switching (when bilingual speakers use languages interchangeably) in Mexican-American first graders. Cites several reasons for code switching, and discusses implications for reading instruction. (MM)

Discusses how interactive, whole class techniques (using a student-generated Big Book adaptation of "Corduroy") improved the reading skills of high risk first grade readers. Describes several activities, including sight word strategies, decoding techniques, and word processing, and suggests 27 Big Books for use with these activities. (MM)

Examines the differences between oral and written languages, including differences in register, style, and syntax. Asserts that reading aloud and giving instructions are two ways to focus on the connection between oral and written language and the processes of reading and writing. (MM)

Discusses the importance of developing disadvantaged children's background knowledge by using prereading strategies which focus on the text's central ideas. Suggests several guidelines for choosing prereading strategies. (MM)

Examines some problems and techniques for teaching prefixes and suffixes at the middle elementary level. States that fewer affixes should be taught, while emphasizing the application of affix knowledge to unfamiliar words. Lists the most common prefixes and suffixes in printed school English for grades three to nine. (MM)

Examines the trend of using Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), commonly known as hyperactivity, to classify students as learning disabled (LD). Notes that ADD characteristics are frequently observed in children with reading problems, and argues that misclassifying students as LD denies them appropriate reading instruction. (MM)

Describes and examines the taxonomic linguistic system, a multi-level classification of language. Notes that this system not only formed the basis for all reading instruction, but also influenced reading research. Argues that this system should be replaced by one less simplistic and more realistic. (MM)

Describes and evaluates the Spellmaster Assessment and Teaching System, a program for testing and teaching spelling at elementary, middle/junior, and senior high school levels. Concludes that although Spellmaster might be useful in clinical applications, its use in developmental, whole language programs is questionable. (MM)