Reading programs for low-income populations often give disappointing results. Failures may be partly due to a neglect of practice in decoding letters. Visual stimuli are best learned symbol by symbol, with pattern analogies and much practice to unite smaller components and speed up identification. The prerequisite for comprehending volumes of text…

Embracing the dynamic nature of English language can help students learn more about all forms of English. To fully engage students, teachers should not adhere to an anachronistic and static view of English. Instead, they must acknowledge, accept, and even use different language forms within the classroom to make that classroom dynamic, inclusive,…

One of the biggest challenges teachers face in today's classrooms is instructing students who are non-native English speakers. Research supports using drama and movement to enhance the literacy development of English language learners. Besides being "fun" learning experiences for children, drama and movement have proven to assist with developing…

Describes the "Magic E," a game designed for small groups to practice decoding skills. (MM)

Presents a theoretical model of the writing process and suggests having students create a picture collage as an introduction to the various roles and stages in the writing process. (HTH)

The activities included in this book are based on the assumption that good readers have excellent command of oral language, that they recognize signals and patterns in words and sentences and are able to guess unknown words based on this information, and that they learn to read by reading. Among the activities included in this collection are those…

States that development of oral reading skills, with the relevant methods and goals, has been largely disregarded by present-day thinking on language instruction. Argues that these skills are an important aspect of communicative competence and suggests activities designed for various levels of language proficiency. (MES)

Describes how primary teachers can use decoding strategies within a literature-based, whole-language setting. A three-stage approach involves the book stage (real reading), the word stage (learning words), and the letter-sound stage (learning sounds). The article provides sample activities. (SM)