The purpose of this article is to describe how increasingly intensive, multilevel interventions can be used to ensure the increase in number of children who learn to read. We first review the promise and limitations of empirically validated best practices for mainstream classrooms. We then discuss results from a recent multilevel intervention…

Teaching beginning reading to children with physical and speech impairments can be especially challenging. One reading strategy, known as the Nonverbal Reading Approach, is specifically designed to promote decoding and word reading for this population of students. The authors present three studies that show the successful use of this approach.

"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,…

Relations between preservice teachers' guided field observations of primary literacy instruction and knowledge about effective beginning reading practices were explored. Preservice teachers (n = 48) participated in a Directed Field Experience course including instruction on and observations of exemplary teaching practices promoting student…

This article describes a questionnaire survey of 747 students enrolled in a graduate school of education, who are currently teachers or prospective teachers. The Literacy Habits Questionnaire, developed by Applegate and Applegate, was administered in September 2006. Findings suggest a high prevalence of aliteracy, the ability to read but a…

Argues that reading research studies should be more widely disseminated so that teachers may apply the latest information in teaching reading. (RB)

Research supports Samuels' focal attention hypothesis for acquiring reading responses to novel words presented in isolation. (RB)

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)

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

Considers solutions to beginning readers' problems with decoding, syntax, semantics, text organization, and differences between spoken and written language. (DD)

Reviews some of the research on the effectiveness of direct versus incidental instruction of beginning reading. (MKM)

Explores the characteristics and implications of the "new sentence method" of learning to read. (JM)

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)