First, second, and third grade students were asked to draw inferences after reading stories written by themselves, by peers, and by adults. The 70 subjects were divided into groups of slow-inaccurate, slow-accurate, and fast-accurate readers. After reading each type of story, they responded to six questions requiring text-based inferences.…

In accordance with current recommendations concerning teaching reading to kindergarten children, this paper presents a kindergarten reading curriculum. Included are a description of major instructional techniques, a time-line illustrating how instruction might evolve across the school year, and finally, a battery of informal tasks for assessing…

First-graders taught reading by phonics or language experience approach were compared on their ability to orally decode lists of words identified as either real or nonsense words. The two groups did not differ in overall correct responses, nor were their strategies influenced by the "real/nonsense" directions. (SJL)

Children in first, second, and third grades were subjects in a study that investigated how well they drew inferences after reading their own dictated stories, peer-dictated stories, and adult-written stories. Results showed they inferred better if they dictated the story themselves or if they were accurate decoders. (HOD)

In the research paper considered, Stahl and Miller compare the effectiveness of whole language/language experience programs versus basal reader approaches. The article is criticized for misrepresenting concepts related to emergent literacy and inadequately defining whole language, the lack of equivalence between the two nonbasal approaches, and…

Reading aloud to children is the most important step towards making a child a reader. It exposes them to print and excites their curiosity through intriguing story lines. Parents play an enormous role in this aspect of reading development, because it begins long before a child is in school. In the beginning of school, teachers spend time assessing…

Discusses how interactive, whole class techniques (using a student-generated Big Book adaptation of "Corduroy") improved the reading skills of high risk first grade readers. Describes several activities, including sight word strategies, decoding techniques, and word processing, and suggests 27 Big Books for use with these activities. (MM)

A study investigated ways of establishing links between different methods of reading instruction, children's conceptualizations of the reading process, and children's actual reading behavior. Two instruments were used to assess the relationships between the three variables: a revised version of "The Reading Miscue Inventory" and…

As in kits 1-12, the kits in this bilingual language arts strand offer activities in oral language development and language-experience reading, structured reading, and comprehension and interpretation skills. Basic themes of this unit for Spanish-speaking second graders is the neighborhood. Activities also support subthemes of the child, his needs…

The supplement and ditto packet for the unit six language arts strand for second graders features visual aids to help carry out the activities described in the teacher's guide. Visuals based on the stories are used to help stimulate oral language and conceptual development along with class participation activities and written work. Other materials…

The supplement and ditto packet to the Spanish as a Second Language strand of unit six for second graders contains activities for both seatwork and group participation. Unit six is oriented toward the basic theme of the neighborhood as a community; Kits 21-24 reflect the spiraling questions of what the elements are, how wants and needs are…

Theme of this Spanish as a Second Language unit for grade three is the communities of the nation. Learning and assessment activities in kits 29-32, each designed for two to three weeks of teaching, are intended to provide the English-dominant child with structures and vocabulary for effective communication in a bilingual environment. Activities…

Language arts instructional and assessment activities for grade two are described in this teacher's guide to the language arts strand of unit six. Focus, objective and materials for each activity are given in English and Spanish, with teacher instructions only in Spanish. This strand includes a continuation of the basic activities of past units:…

Learning and assessment activities centered around the extended community are contained in this teacher's guide to unit seven of the Spanish as a Second Language strand for grade three. The curriculum provides the English-dominant child with structures and vocabulary for effective communication in a bilingual environment. Activities in kits 25-28…

Spanish for grade 3 is presented in this teachers' guide to the instructional and assessment activities of unit nine. The function of this strand is to help provide the English-dominant child with the structures and vocabulary needed for effective communication in a bilingual environment. Instructional activities are designed to help the child…