The surge of support for the science of reading is cause for great cheer. According to the Albert Shanker Institute, 45 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws since 2019 to shift reading instruction based on what research says works. These laws often explicitly call for teaching phonics, phonemic awareness, and other skills that…

This collaborative research endeavor, undertaken by a committee composed of the English Language Art (ELA) pedagogical consultants for Québec English School Boards, Kativik, Lower Canada College and Littoral in consultation with the ELA Programs team at the Direction des programmes d'études en formation générale des jeunes (DPEFGJ) at the…

"If you want to be able to read with comprehension, you must become knowledgeable about the topic. The more relevant knowledge you have, the less it matters whether the text is complex or not," write Hirsch and Hansel in this article. Research has shown that a student who has extensive background knowledge of a topic will find it easy to…

As part of its proposal to the U.S. Department of Education, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) committed to developing Kindergarten through Grade 2 Model Content Frameworks for English language arts (ELA)/literacy (K-2 Model Content Frameworks) to serve as a bridge between the Common Core State Standards…

Implementing multimedia in the high school language arts curriculum has become necessary so that teachers may build connections between the background knowledge of students and the printed texts that are thrust upon them. This idea comes from an area of research in cognitive science known commonly as schema theory, which contends that every…

When Boston, Massachusetts teachers objected to a reading subskills management curriculum adopted by the city, a new elementary school curriculum was developed that emphasized broad general objectives at each level and reading comprehension. Teacher input played an important role in the curriculum effort. (PP)

To determine specific objectives for language arts programs in Alberta schools, a study was conducted in which a comprehensive list of specific objectives was compiled for use in developing tests of reading and writing in grades three, six, nine, and twelve. Measurable objectives were ranked in terms of their importance to the total program, and…

The Institute for Standards, Curricula, and Assessments (ISCA) of the United Teachers Los Angeles Educational Foundation has instituted a lesson study process and support system for teachers that enables them to develop high-quality, standards-based curricula and assessments. This Handbook represents the teachers' best thinking at this time. It is…

Jonathan Culler's notion, that each change of perspective a reader makes brings something different from the text, is explored by using four curricula. They are: the traditional language arts curriculum, an active reading comprehension curriculum, a psychology curriculum, and a feminist curriculum. By analyzing the same text, "Snow White and…

In the early 1980s, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) revised its policies on reading instruction. A new transactional definition of reading shifted the emphasis from discrete reading skills to comprehension and set out objectives consistent with that new definition. Policymakers also revised the state?s reading-evaluation instruments,…

The current wave of school reform, with its emphasis on assessment of basic reading, writing, and math skills, has resulted in a diminished role for other core subjects. In the United States, the No Child Left Behind Act calls for the addition of assessments in science, but it seems that social studies will be a core discipline that is left…

Reviews the research that led to the movement toward literature based reading programs for children and describes the current status of the movement nationally. The discussion also addresses problems within the movement, including program evaluation; basalization of literature; cumbersome literature guides; acquisition difficulties; inadequate…

Attempting to increase reading engagement, a collaborative team implemented a year-long integration of reading/language arts and science instruction known as Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI). Compared to traditionally organized instruction, the CORI context increased strategy use, conceptual learning, and text comprehension more than…

Elementary school teachers acknowledge the need for better writing instruction, but seldom have time for it within their already crowded curricula. Writing instruction suffers from placing skills development before writing activities, from emphasis on reading, and because many teachers are not well prepared to teach writing. A low priority is…

A program was developed for improving primary level student intelligences in order to improve reading comprehension, prediction skills, and the ability to apply targeted reading strategies. The targeted population consisted of first and second grade students in a middle class community located in the far southern Chicago metropolitan area. The…