This publication contains papers contributed to the fifth Perspectives of Reading conference of the International Reading Association which focused on the teaching of beginning reading. The following approaches are described and evaluated: (1) individualized reading, (2) basal reading, (3) linguistic approach, (4) phonics approach, (5) new…

Evaluated during an 8-week period were the effects of three instructional reading methods for 36 reading retarded students (grades 4-6) with differing degrees of visual function difficulties (perceptual impairment rather than visual acuity problems). Ss were divided into two groups according to their high or low degree of visual function…

This study investigated the extent to which the language base as described in the three strands of the Language Experience Approach Rationale is provided for in the first grade reading textbook teacher guides adopted by the state of Arizona. Language experiences in a random sample consisting of five pages from each of the 77 books included on the…

The following five characteristics of successful reading projects for the disadvantaged are discussed as a basis for appraising ESEA/Title I programs: (1) a child need-centered emphasis, (2) provision for teacher education, (3) use of multidisciplinary and paraprofessional personnel, (4) parent involvement, and (5) evaluation procedures. Current…

Presents the Language-Experience Approach (LEA) of teaching beginning and remedial reading, describing how it may be used in the science classroom. Provides step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate the LEA into science laboratory activities and gives tips on how to structure the class to accommodate different levels of readers. (JM)

If communicative competence is defined by and organized around culturally-framed and linguistically-patterned communicative plans and goals and the linguistic resources of interactive practices, then interaction in the classroom is employed to create social engagement in regularly occurring interactive practices where communicative learning can be…

Reviews current theories of language teaching and learning. Considers thinking and problem solving as the impetus to linguistic growth and change. Encourages teachers to devise genuine problem solving tasks for young children that begin by observing/examining and end in expression through writing. (RL)

Asserts the function of narrative as a method of thinking is important in the lives of children as well as adults. Maintains that, by examining a story or narrative in children's art, it is possible to account for its importance in their lives. Describes three aspects of narrative: (1) invention; (2) description; and (3) negotiation. (CFR)

A review of selected research studies and practices on the teaching of literacy to limited English proficient (LEP) students suggests that there is considerable variation in the way literacy is defined. Several methods currently being used to develop LEP students' literacy skills are reviewed. Many LEP students continue to be taught reading skills…

This guide is intended for use by teachers and tutors who are using the assisted reading method to teach reading to adult learners. The introduction describes the contents of the guide and the other materials in the Read On! II series, i.e., six textbooks, six workbooks, and a set of tutor resource sheets for use with learners at the beginning…

To help students practice and manipulate a newly learned language, games that help the teacher create contexts in which the language is useful and meaningful are presented in this book. The introduction provides answers to questions teachers may have--including why and for whom games are useful--and also offers practical pointers for explaining…

Music can be an effective motivational vehicle for teaching listening skills, literature, oral and nonverbal communication, creative writing, handwriting, spelling, and grammar. One idea for integrating music into the language arts involves the use of song lyrics as reading materials. Since contemporary country music, and its precursor folk music,…

This booklet contains over 35 sample student activities designed by teachers to support the development of prerequisite skills for reading comprehension and to offer opportunities for mastery learning. Activities are suggested in the areas of letter/sound relationships, word recognition, experiential concept development, cognitive concept…

The instructional materials for inservice teacher education that are described here focus on five different approaches to teaching reading--phonetics, multisensory, linguistic, language experience, and sight. The program stresses that no one approach is best for all children. This descriptive report provides information on the purposes and content…

The effects of a language-based reading approach on the reading strategies of first grade children were examined in a study involving a total of 40 children. Half of the students were placed in an experimental group that was exposed to the language-based reading approach, and half were placed in a control group that was taught to read by a…