Experiential learning opportunities support readers in developing the background knowledge that is essential for comprehension. When authentic experiences are not feasible, virtual reality experiences serve as a vicarious approach to help readers have opportunities that promote comprehension. Rooted in experiential learning theory, virtual reality…

Reading comprehension and fluency issues are the most significant challenges facing adult, developmental reading students in community colleges. While a great deal of focus has been on improving developmental reading instruction, there is a lack of attention, and research, on how to best improve students' actual reading. Self-selected reading…

The current climate of reading instruction calls for fluency strategies that stress automaticity, accuracy, and prosody, within the scope of prescribed reading programs that compromise teacher autonomy, with texts that are often irrelevant to the students' experiences. Consequently, accuracy and speed are developed, but deep comprehension is…

As they are naturally curious about the world around them, young children ask lots and lots of questions. In classrooms today, however, there seems to be little space for these student-generated questions as teachers are more likely to pose the questions. Research indicates that question generation is an effective strategy to motivate young…

Struggling readers often lack fluency and motivation and many exhibit dyslexic characteristics. Often these children sit undiagnosed in regular education classroom with interventions that are limited in scope and fail to have the motivational element which will encourage these struggling readers to actively engage in reading and writing. Students…

In this article, teachers are reminded that their content subject areas require acquainting children with special words or symbols related to that subject area (e.g. mathematics or social studies). Because children can read well does not mean they would be understanding of any special reading skill required in a content subject area; that the…

For decades there has been a divide between educational research and practice. Sometimes the blame is placed on teachers for not following research-based strategies or not being trained well enough to read the literature. Just as frequently the blame is placed on researchers for not (a) studying topics important to teachers, (b) writing them so…

There are several reading strategies necessary for students to read and comprehend test. This article introduces an informal teacher evaluation of before, during, and after reading strategy use called the Before, During, and After Reading Scale (BDARS). Two scales have been designed. The teacher version will help teachers determine which reading…

Content area reading is extremely challenging for English language learners (ELLs). Although their English is not fully developed, they are faced with reading subject matter content in English that is typically written in academic language. Reading academic discourse is very challenging for ELLs because it is characterized with complex syntax,…

The greatest challenge inhibiting the ability of English-language learners (ELLs) to read at the appropriate grade level is perhaps a lack of sufficient vocabulary development. While extensive reading is beneficial, these students must acquire the necessary vocabulary in order to read extensively. Both vocabulary breadth and vocabulary depth are…

According to research findings in English-language teaching, vocabulary acquisition is not given enough attention. As a result, second-language learners are caught in a difficult situation in reading comprehension. This paper proposes helping English-language learners develop basic vocabulary so that that they can read effectively. The approach to…

Based on a number of publications within the last five years, this article starts with an observation that vocabulary instruction for English-Language Learners is still not given adequate attention. In an attempt to improve the situation, the author suggests a modified approach to extensive reading for vocabulary and reading development. The…

Describes the nine salient features of an individualized reading program: introduction and motivation, new words or ideas, comprehension guide questions, oral reading, comprehension skills, vocabulary development, word analysis skills, enrichment, and student teacher conferences. (RL)

Describes a minimal training program designed to improve the reading skills of adults in the business world. Concludes that the program had a significant effect of the vocabulary development, comprehension, and reading rates of the participants. (FL)

Explains how education majors try to learn to recognize thought unit sentences (ThUS's) and to gauge their difficulty. Shows examples of simple writing and discusses the task of writing ThUS's to match style and level of author. Gives a rationale for doing a readability analysis in this way. (FL)