This article systematically reviews research on the achievement outcomes of four types of approaches to improving the reading success of children in the elementary grades: reading curricula, instructional technology, instructional process programs, and combinations of curricula and instructional process. Study inclusion criteria included use of…

The Magnolia Speech School for the Deaf (Jackson, Mississippi) provides an intensive reading program for five preschool children. The program consists of four areas: the story reading session, primer reading, vocabulary development, and phonics. (SB)

The goal of the RF program, Part B of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), is to have all children reading at grade level by the end of third grade. There is no legislative precedent for this program, focused as it is on preventing reading failure in the early elementary years (US Department of Education, April 2002). Because the design of…

This study investigated the role of the amount, content, and implementation of reading instruction provided by 17 kindergarten teachers in eight "Reading First" elementary schools as it related to students' progress (n = 286 students) on early reading assessments of phonological awareness and letter naming-decoding fluency. Children's…

"Reading Mastery," one of several curriculum components that constitute the "Direct Instruction" curriculum from SRA/McGraw-Hill, is designed to provide systematic instruction in reading to students in grades K-6. "Reading Mastery," which can be used as an intervention program for struggling readers, as a supplement…

In its current adoptions of reading series for the elementary grades, California has chosen literature-based programs rather than the more traditional basal readers. A study investigated whether the contents of such readers for grades K-3 truly consist solely of literary selections, since it is well-recognized that quality books carry heavy…

The language experience approach to early reading is currently receiving renewed attention. Too often its full potential is not realized due to certain limitations. This article reports on a project in which those limitations were overcome and highly gratifying results achieved. (Author)

The purpose of the current study is to expand upon the effectiveness of using Visual Phonics in conjunction with Direct Instruction reading programs (B. J. Trezek & K. W. Malmgren, 2005; B. J. Trezek & Y. Wang, 2006) and to explore the results of utilizing Visual Phonics to supplement another phonics-based reading curriculum for students who are…

In this article, the authors explain how one of them helped a struggling reader develop reading, writing, and self-regulatory strategies. The article is based on two foundations: Marie Clay's, the developer of Reading Recovery, ideas on the self-extending system of reading and Schunk and Zimmerman's four developmental levels of self-regulation…

Article is an interview with Mary Austin, author of "The First R" and "The Torchlighters". (GB)

"Houghton Mifflin: Invitations to Literacy," developed by the Houghton Mifflin Company, is an integrated K-8 reading and language arts program. The philosophy behind the program is that literacy instruction should stimulate, teach, and extend the communication and thinking skills that will allow students to become effective readers,…

Describes a beginning reading program based on the child's language and experience. (RB)

Argues that teachers of beginning reading can incorporate the cloze procedure into ongoing reading programs, and shows how this can be done. (RB)

FOUR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO BEGINNING READING--THE BASIC READING PROGRAM, SELF-SELECTION IN READING, LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE APPROACH, AND PROGRAMED INSTRUCTION ARE EXPLAINED. THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT EACH METHOD ARE ANSWERED--WHAT IS MEANT BY THIS METHOD. WHY IS THIS METHOD CONSIDERED A SOUND APPROACH. HOW DOES THE TEACHER BEGIN. HOW DOES THE…