This report highlights the enduring importance of our Young Readers Programme by providing children with impactful positive reading experiences as well as opportunities to choose and, crucially, keep books. This is particularly important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, with over 1 in 4 children who receive free school meals telling us…

The Ministry of Education and Culture developed the school literacy movement (SLM) program. This program aims to foster student interest in reading and improve reading skills so that knowledge can be mastered better. The author uses a literature review design by collecting data from various journal sources relevant to the SLM program in elementary…

This article details the design and implementation of a reading program in a university EFL setting as a strategy to encourage creativity, critical thinking, collaborative learning, and reading for enjoyment (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001; Richards & Renandya, 2002). This student-centered project challenged ELLs to address issues such as…

This study is a comparative analysis of literary curricula in six European countries and is part of the project LiFT-2, funded by Comenius' Life Long Learning Programme of the European Commission. The result of this project, that involved almost 4,500 teachers, is a European literary framework for secondary education which can be described as a…

This paper reports on the inclusion of extensive reading in three separate 12-week courses taught by different teachers on an EAP programme at a New Zealand university. The inclusion of extensive reading was experimental and sought answers to two questions: would students respond positively to the extensive reading component, and how could…

Connecticut Valley Hospital (CVH) is a state mental institution whose Children's Unit provides residential care and treatment, as well as educational and recreational programs for approximately 120 children suffering from severe emotional disorders. In January, 1974, a project was initiated to improve the library service being provided to these…

Describes a program called "Get Acquainted with My Books" which introduces children to the books in their classroom library by having them write reviews. Notes that the program has proven successful in getting reluctant readers interested in reading. (SR)

The Teachers as Readers (TAR) Project is a national program which helps teachers encourage children to become lifelong readers. TAR began as a pilot program in the state of Virginia in Spring 1992 as the Reading Initiative sponsored by the American Association of Publishers and the Virginia State Reading Association. The first TAR Project in…

Describes a program of workshops held to encourage parents, teachers and children to share reading experiences. Suggestions are given for selecting books, reading aloud, and discussing content. (SET)

A computer program has been designed to analyze the reading difficulty of English text. It is, essentially, an automation of the widely used Dale-Chall formula for the estimation of reading difficulty. Text samples of up to 5000 words are input, with only minor punctuation restrictions being applied. Output from the program consists of sample…

Presents annotations of five documents in the ERIC database that discuss recreational reading programs. Presents two annotations of documents listing award-winning or favorably reviewed works of children's literature. (RS)

The Reading Challenge project was designed to help students make the transition from picture books to reading and choosing age-appropriate chapter books for recreational reading. This project was conducted throughout the school year with students rotating through different chapter books, usually completing 2 books and related activities each…

The national problem of literacy has both a basic skills dimension and a general knowledge dimension ("cultural literacy"). Accordingly, since previous research has demonstrated that high-volume reading produces measurable improvement in both dimensions, an "action literacy" project constructed eight reading lists (770 titles)…

Designed for the special needs of students reading below grade level at Juan Seguin Elementary School (Texas), this pamphlet presents an overview of the High Expectations reading program. The pamphlet identifies whole group instruction as the primary instructional method, although small group instruction is delivered when necessary. An effective…

Discusses the implementation and applications of an information retrieval system designed for Apple microcomputers to assist reading specialists and clinicians select both commercial and noncommercial remedial reading materials. (AEA)