Reviews research findings that suggest the importance of systematic phonics instruction in beginning reading. Cites arguments against phonics teaching and indicates that they appear unsupportable since they are incompatible with research findings and since they make unwarrantedly negative accusations about the kind of teaching that must be used in…

Considers some research evidence, and extracts from it strategies and techniques that could profitably be used in the classroom. (HOD)

Discusses the apprenticeship approach to teaching reading. Finds two useful insights to be drawn from traditional apprenticeship: (1) the movement from observation, through coaching, to practice can act as a model for reading instruction; and (2) the importance of the social context in which learning takes place. (MG)

Concludes that the sight method of teaching reading is discredited by recent research findings. (RB)

Reviews literature that describes the success of Japanese children in learning to read Japanese; concludes that Japanese children learn their phonemic Kana script very quickly, possibly because they work with the syllable as a unit, but that the Kanji (Chinese characters) in the Japanese text present difficulties for learners. (GT)

Argues that it is possible for stories to both entertain the reader and teach reading techniques. Suggests that the apprentice approach to reading instruction, using good stories and with judicious intervention by teachers, can be rigorous. (MG)

Describes a pictogram system in which letters are made to look like human and animal characters as a way of teaching phonics to children; tells how teachers have imaginatively implemented the system through activities in such areas as drama, singing, and story telling. (GT)

Suggests that some Australian schools in the 1980s took up too enthusiastically what may be called the Effortless Theory of Learning to Read. Describes how Paired Reading can work and what can go wrong with such instruction. (RS)

Offers suggestions for organizing the primary classroom to provide ideal conditions for teaching reading. (DF)

Presents a summary of the deliberations of a primary school teacher concerning her use of an "apprenticeship approach" to beginning reading instruction. States that it is the teacher's role to use a child's pleasure in a book as a key to the development of reading skills. (RS)

Criticizes the "project" approach to reading instruction, where beginning reading students are supposed to learn the skills it takes to find out information for themselves by reading from sources. Points out that a large number of ill-defined skills which are not taught explicitly are required to sucessfully complete a project. (SKC)

Describes and evaluates several methods for teaching reading that can involve the parent in the child's reading development. Concludes that a program involving paired reading in its purest form is the best method. (SRT)

Presents methods for teaching reading using Paired Reading and "real books" to determine the ingredients necessary for a successful program. Factors discussed include (1) materials (choice of books); (2) parental involvement; (3) the teacher's role (as enabler, facilitator, supporter); and (4) within-child factors (such as motivation and…