This case study explored professional development centered on explicit teaching strategies with in-service first-grade teachers as they engaged beginning readers to consider stronger self-awareness of their thinking processes as they read. In this paper, we report on how teacher beliefs shifted regarding the impact of explicit versus implicit…

Argues that the best approach to teaching beginning and remedial reading is one that incorporates a variety of methods and techniques. (RB)

Argues that proponents of the sight method must reevaluate some of their advice to teachers in light of recent research. (RB)

Briefly discusses research on consonant substitution and presents a five-step teaching strategy to help beginning readers use the words they know to figure out the words they don't know. (JM)

Deplores beginning reading instruction stressing drill in isolated skills that interrupts the natural reading process. Suggests the use of imitative reading, such as having preschool children "memorize" a book they have heard aloud several times, as a successful teaching strategy. (HTH)

Reviews the history of phonics and whole word instruction, arguing that students' reading proficiency does benefit from learning fundamentals of phonics. (HTH)

Emphasizes the need for teachers to perceive the process of reading as a process of predictions so that teaching techniques emphasizing reading comprehension will be used. (MKM)

Describes the use of a structured language experience approach and an imitative, or taped book, approach to teaching reading to children who were reading with difficulty. (MKM)

Describes a procedure for providing children with multiple opportunities to recognize high frequency words in dependable musical contexts. Contends that music is a potential tool for helping build successful readers. (RS)

Describes an instructional technique for expanding children's vocabulary that embodies the principle that learning involves relating new experiences to what is already known. (FL)

Outlines the following teaching strategies to improve the reading fluency of beginning readers: paired reading, echo reading, mumble reading, chanting lists or stories, repeated and choral readings, memorization tasks, and phrase boundary marking. (MM)

Describes how to use a "natural language" technique that makes use of stories that contain predictable language patterns (such as those with words that are repeated or that rhyme) in teaching beginning reading. (MKM)

Examines prereading and beginning reading from both a historical and a current perspective with emphasis on the implications of recent findings on children's literacy learning for instruction. (FL)

Provides a number of suggestions for teaching children often confused words. (FL)