A study determined if significant differences existed between the mean scores of students receiving formal spelling instruction when compared with scores of students who did not receive any instruction in spelling. Subjects, 50 first-grade students, were given either formal spelling instruction throughout the week for 6 weeks or received no formal…

A comparative study is presented of three types of teaching methods: cooperative, competitive, and individualistic. It is pointed out that while studies related to this topic show that the cooperative method seems to be the most widely used and perceived as the most beneficial for teaching students, competitive and individualistic teaching methods…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of third grade students' reading achievement who have experienced the Reading Renaissance approach to reading instruction (a comprehensive program that balances a reading curriculum with an intensive regimen of reading practice, proven motivational techniques, and state-of-the-art…

A study determined which approach for vocabulary development, context or definition, would yield the best results on a teacher-made content area vocabulary test. Two random samples (for a total of 45 students) of fourth graders from a central New Jersey elementary school were formed. One sample was taught 50 social studies vocabulary words using…

A teacher in an East Tennessee elementary school observed after a year of kindergarten that her students had a hard time recognizing their letters based on the Brigance Test. She taught one letter a week by thematic instruction, and she was concerned her students would not be ready to read if they did not know their letters. A study was conducted…

A teacher in a small Christian school noticed that many of her third grade students found the A Beka spelling drill rather tedious. Many Christian schools use the A Beka spelling curriculum with lessons based upon special phonetic sounds. The students are introduced to alphabetical order and dictionary skills. These skills seem appropriate and…

This study was performed to determine whether graphic organizers or traditional methods were a more effective way of instructing and assessing vocabulary development. The traditional methods included instructing with the use of context clues and/or dictionary use, and assessing with the use of matching, cloze passages, and/or fill-ins. A group of…

A study determined if homework influences the acquisition of vocabulary knowledge and understanding. Subjects, 40 third graders, were divided into two groups--20 students received homework in vocabulary and 20 students did not. A test was administered to determine if homework had an effect on their understanding of the vocabulary. Results…

A study explored the effectiveness of adding a daily, structured practice session of weekly spelling words to the traditional pattern of pretesting on Monday, posttesting on Friday. Subjects, 28 second graders from the Grapeland Independent School District (Texas), were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group paired up…

A child's ability to read is at the very foundation of his or her learning in school and plays a significant role in scholastic success. Although no one literacy model can ever represent the range of diverse learners in our schools, Cunningham, Hall, and Defee's literacy model known as Four-Block attempts to meet the needs of as many learners as…

The focus of this study was on the use of drama supplements to increase the reading fluency of first grade students in a suburban school. The subjects of this study were first grade students. They were between six and eight years old and attended a suburban school in Knoxville, Tennessee. The class contained eight girls and twelve boys. Students…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether significant mean differences exist in standardized reading scores between a district that utilized a single basal series to develop reading ability and a district utilizing a tri-basal approach to reading. A cross-section of elementary teachers from two similar suburban school districts that…

Educators continue to seek ways to foster writing that produces rich language usage by students. Journal writing in the classroom allows students to express ideas in written form. Two types of journal writing often used by educators include topical journal writing and free choice journal writing. The desire to excel in the area of writing prompted…

A study determined if there would be any significant difference in comprehension test scores when learning disabled students were instructed with and without graphic organizers while reading novels. Subjects were five male fifth-grade learning disabled students reading on the fourth-grade level, who came from the same middle-class suburban school…

Accelerated Reader is a computer program designed by Advantage Learning Systems to assess students' reading comprehension levels and keep detailed and accurate reports of such findings. This research studied the Accelerated Reader program with a second grade class over a 6-week time frame. One class of 20 students read books picked from the…