Concludes that the diacritic e generalizations formulated on graphics research have value for use in decoding programs as early as the first reader of typical basal series. (RB)

Analyzes four basal reading series to ascertain current usage of the words on the Dolch List. Reports that the listed words continue to be widely used and that the list remains a potent force in elementary school reading programs. (TJ)

After a brief historical review of the development of basic reading materials and controlled vocabularies, a study to determine the percentage of Dolch words in four recently published basal reader programs is reported. The percentages provided help in determining whether the Dolch list is still viable. Results revealed that words on the Dolch…

Describes a reading program that uses a combination of basal readers to teach beginning reading. (RB)

This report summarizes research related to the use of a conventional basal reading program with students in the Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP). Results of instruction were measured by the number of objectives gained each quarter, the total number of objectives gained, the number of lessons taken for each objective, and scores on the…

The achievement of four groups of children as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test was compared at the end of the first, second, and third year of school. The four programs used were the initial teaching alphabet (i.t.a.), Words in Color (WIC), Phonetic Keys, and teacher-designed analytic programs. At the end of the first year there appeared…

Reports research which shows that a wide gap exists between basal reader language and children's level of oral language development. (JM)

Examines the relative merits of the language experience approach, the basal reader approach, and the individualized reading approach for beginning reading instruction, concluding that individualized reading has the advantage of fitting the needs of the student. (RB)

This paper is a discursive presentation of results of an examination of comprehension instruction provided by widely used basal reader series. Focusing on selections in the first three grades of the 1976 Houghton Mifflin Reading Series, the analyses looked at the sorts of selections the students are asked to read, at the amount of text which they…

This study represents the second segment of the 3-year longitudinal study to test the effectiveness of the Listen Look Learn (LLL) Multi-Media Communication Skills System. Data were analyzed for the 1968-69 school year for 159 students who participated in LLL instruction during both their first and second year, 113 second-year students who used a…

For those school districts who wished an evaluation of the Listen Look Learn (LLL) system at grade 1 before expanding it into higher grades, a small study was conducted to determine what effect the transition to a basal reader would have on the child taught beginning reading in the LLL program. Two school districts submitted end-of-first-grade…

When a formula for assessing the language stimulation value of pictures was applied to several basal readers, the results indicated that most of the pictures were of low potency or stimulation potential. (MKM)

Basal readers are supposed to be easy for children to read, but sometimes their language is so unnatural that it's more confusing than helpful. (MKM)

This study examined differences in oral reading strategies of 60 first-grade students attending school in two comparable Texas districts. One district provided beginning reading instruction through an eclectic basal approach; the second taught reading using a phonic emphasis approach. The Reading Miscue Inventory was used to analyze oral reading…