The purpose of this exploration was to develop an operational guide to assist secondary teachers in adapting language experience techniques in their classrooms. After language experience techniques were reviewed and identified, they were compiled into a guide which was used in two classrooms. Inservice training of teachers evolved from this guide…

To measure the effectiveness of the computer based instructional system designed to develop the writing and reading skills of kindergarten and first grade students, Writing to Read (WTR), which was implemented by three Kettering (Ohio) Elementary Schools in l988 and three more in 1989, was examined in five areas related to the program. Results…

Language development and dialect are measures of influences upon a student's ability to learn to read. It has been observed that students whose language differs from that used in schools and in the materials of instruction are often found in remedial reading classes. Their difficulty lies in attempting to learn to read a language which is…

Undergraduate education students can often discuss the language experience approach intelligently, listing advantages and disadvantages with ease, but express bewilderment when it comes time in a reading practicum class to actually use the approach with a child. A teaching guide can serve as an aid to those students who have previously studied the…

A pilot tutor training project, the Student-Tutor Orientation (STO), was designed to meet the need for making whole-language concepts of reading and writing instruction accessible to tutors as well as students through hands-on experience and for establishing a collaborative tutoring relationship in which students share in decision making.…

A literature based reading program was developed to improve reading comprehension skills of 14 students in a Chapter 1 pre-first grade class. Instead of using a basal reader for instruction, the students were exposed to trade or literature books, The reading strategies that were pre- and posttested were recognition of a sight vocabulary,…

Examines different approaches to reading acquisition used in four first grades of a suburban elementary school. Supports the use of a language experience approach as a viable alternative to the basal reader approach for teaching reading and writing. (JK)

Reports on two studies that examined differences in the processing strategies of beginning readers, as indicated by an analysis of oral reading errors. (FL)

To provide the most effective instruction, materials, and support for beginning readers, teachers need to know if young children are more likely to process from print to meaning-- bottom-up or text-driven processing--or to interpret print to follow meaning--top-down or concept-driven processing. While some studies reveal a correlation between…

Drawn from an annual symposium held at the University of Guam to recognize and encourage scholarly activities of graduate students in the reading education department and to promote continued interdepartmental dialogue on the teaching of reading, the nine papers in this compilation deal with various approaches to reading instruction. Topics…

A whole language approach is emphasized in the reading clinic at the University of Missouri (St. Louis) because disabled readers need to practice their skills simultaneously in speaking, listening, and reading. At the clinic, teachers are encouraged to learn and use several approaches to teaching reading. However, the language experience approach…

A study examined the effects of prior knowledge on the reading comprehension of disadvantaged first-grade students from an inner-city school in northern Utah. A thematic approach using trade books, field experiences, Language Experience Activities, and student journals was used to increase background knowledge of the at-risk first graders who were…

This digest links the development of listening comprehension to the emerging reading comprehension of young American Indian students, and suggests ways that teachers can use locally produced materials to enhance young students' emergent literacy. Reading comprehension is the key to literacy, and prior knowledge supports listening and reading…

Techniques to help students with language deficiencies include teacher-prepared aids to help individual work, such as marginal glosses, vocabulary guides, cued text, and advance organizers. Teacher-directed group activities include the structured overview, use of semantic webs, use of the language experience approach, and attribute/classification…

Intended for reading teachers, this resource book provides a variety of practical suggestions and materials for motivating students to read. Chapter one deals with removing roadblocks to reading, including such things as low expectations, a poor self-concept, lack of self-control, lack of flexibility, and lack of time and of interest. Chapter two…