Lists advantages and disadvantages of statewide testing. Presents examples of highly specific objectives, as emphasized by realism as a philosophy of education. Considers the advantages idealism/perennialism, as a philosophy of instruction, has in a quality reading curriculum. (SG)

Discusses the Gullah language, an English-based Creole language that contains words from approximately 21 African languages. Discusses historical background and educational implications. Concludes that in communicating with Gullah speaking children, a teacher has to be flexible, understanding, and willing to learn the student's native language.…

Describes a program that will provide parents with some knowledge of emergent literacy development and with simple literacy activities in which both parents and children can participate at home to encourage the development of early reading and writing skills. (SG)

Offers a method of selecting, analyzing, discussing, and testing from college reading materials that has worked significantly better than previous traditional approaches. Concludes that by employing greater student responsibility for what they read, students' interest, enthusiasm, and scholarly use of read material seems to have risen. (SG)

Discusses how the literature chosen for classroom instruction does not often address issues that confront students, and that teachers are faced with students who often do not want to read printed matter. Suggests winners of the Caldecott Award provide teachers with easy access to literature that will greatly enhance their knowledge of contemporary…

Discusses debates in society on needs in education, particularly reading achievement of students and the needs of teachers. Considers the issues of whole language versus phonics instruction and sequencing student learning in reading instruction. Concludes that these and other issues, such as technology use in reading instruction, need to be…

Presents affective and cognitive factors impacting student reading attitudes for teachers and principals. Delineates specific elements affecting reading attitudes and consequent reading performance. Presents 10 specific suggestions to promote positive reading attitudes. (SG)

Analyzes different approaches to assess learner achievement in the spelling curriculum. Considers the assessment of spelling and the basal textbook; using spelling words for student mastery based on research; individualized spelling; use of spelling words in context; standardized testing to notice student achievement in spelling; teaching spelling…

Focuses on the use of music as instructional material in early literacy instruction. Uses specific examples of music to highlight concepts of print, a sense of story and sequence, phonemic awareness and phonics, background knowledge and vocabulary, basic spelling patterns, and early writing activities. Concludes with an invitation for…

Suggests that the use of a personalized and rhyming approach makes reading more enjoyable and inviting to children because: (1) the sounds are appealing to the ear; and (2) the combination of personalization and rhyming keeps a child focused and maximizes repetitive readings. Concludes that personalization and rhyming are natural associations that…

Suggests a possibility of resolving the problem of reading motivation for some students. Considers that children and adults like to read about familiar places such as their home state with people and settings that they know about written by authors who live or have lived in that state. Includes a list of 50 books (arranged by state) for the upper…