Although sociocultural theory has aroused researchers' interest in investigating the social role in language learning, few studies have investigated the possible effect of sociocultural-based teaching approaches on reading comprehension and ways to increase learners' strategic reading repertoire. This study employs dynamic assessment (DA), a…

Although there is evidence for a close link between the development of oral vocabulary and reading comprehension, less clear is whether oral vocabulary skills relate to the development of word-level reading skills. This study investigated vocabulary and literacy in 81 children aged 8 to 10 years. In regression analyses, vocabulary accounted for…

Discusses the use of double meanings and figurative language or figures of speech in literature and how confusing it can be for beginning readers. Describes class activities that can help students construct, examine, and extend the meaning of what they read and includes a worksheet, evaluation suggestions, and extension activities. (LRW)

Focusing on providing an interdisciplinary framework, the papers in this monograph attempt to synthesize knowledge about comprehension from the points of view of cognitive psychology, textlinguistics, artificial intelligence, and sociolinguistics, as well as from the more conventional perspective of language education. Papers include…

Describes and illustrates a developmental approach to reading assessment. Presents four developmental levels of learning to read: emergent reading, beginning reading, consolidation, and reading to learn new concepts. Explains procedures for assessing aspects of each level. Provides examples of how oral reading miscues, reading rate, and…

The reading comprehension assessment tool is a product developed for the Regional Educational Laboratory's (REL) initiative, Pacific Communities with High performance In Literacy Development, herein named the Pacific CHILD. This research project is focused on school improvement, especially as it relates to the teaching and learning of early…

Three hundred and ninety-seven objectives and related evaluation items for reading in grades kindergarten through three are presented for the teacher and administrator in this collection developed by the Instructional Objectives Exchange (IOX). The objectives are organized into the categories of word recognition, comprehension, and study skills,…

This collection of articles from The Reading Teacher offers indispensable insight on issues, problems, and innovative solutions in literacy education. A wide spectrum of authors--ranging from successful classroom teachers to noted researchers and teacher educators--weigh in on language theories, relevant research, effective instructional…

To weigh the negative effects of "primerese" against its supposedly improved readability, a study compared the reading of controlled basal stories with that of the same stories minimally rewritten into more natural language. Participants were 64 white, lower middle class first grade students selected from five classrooms (all with basal…

This What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) topic report addresses reading interventions for students in grades K-3, including core reading curricula, programs, or products to be used as supplements to other reading instruction, programs that focus on staff development, and literacy software. The WWC review on beginning reading focuses on programs…

This book presents state-of-the-science research on the components of successful literacy learning and how to target them in contemporary classrooms. The volume builds on and extends the work of Steven Stahl, whose pioneering contributions encompassed the key areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and assessment.…

This book presents practical information for those wanting to create elementary schools in which all children become readers and writers. It describes critical factors that can advance or impede the development of more effective educational settings, noting exemplary efforts in real schools and offering a variety of activities for taking stock of…