Describes a study in which seventh-grade students achieved higher scores on a cloze test after reading stories that contained their own names and those of people and places familiar to them. (MKM)

A study to determine the effect of 50 percent compression rate of speech on teacher comprehension revealed that there was no significant different in comprehension by teachers listening to audio tapes at a 50 percent compression rate and those listening at a normal speech rate. (LRA)

Three activities used with first-year French students are described: (1) drawing pictures by following directions which demonstrates knowledge of subjects and prepositions, (2) reading a poem in French and rewriting it in French prose, and (3) learning numbers through role-plays involving money. (PMJ)

Presents a method which involves the students in the creation of dialogues, thereby yielding dialogues which are interesting to the student and contextually appropriate. (AM)

Discusses the use of writing assignments to improve the capacity of literature students to read and analyze assigned texts in the foreign language. The approach provides a higher level of motivation for self-correction that will enable students to overcome, rather than formalize, their errors. (Author/JL)

Explains an integrated curriculum in which science content is at the core of teaching. Contends that study in an integrated curriculum invites students to build their world knowledge by offering them the time and continuous focus to know a subject well. Details an integrated unit called "Oceans" which included: observation; whole group…

This article describes how teachers combined schoolwide enrichment and differentiated instruction models to design a fifth-grade fantasy literature unit. Small groups explored novels to learn the germane content and genre characteristics and then regrouped to refine and apply what was learned to a variety of open-ended problems. (Contains…

This article discusses activities developed for the "Theme Scheme," an instructional program for elementary and middle school children at risk for failure. "Theme Scheme" is a listening and reading comprehension program that uses peer-assisted learning strategies and writing exercises to teach students to understand text at an…

Presents a useful technique for helping meet individual student needs and improving reading comprehension. Examines how literature can be used, through the bibliotherapeutic technique, with collaborative groups to facilitate the total development of children. (MG)

Discusses how teachers can help students learn to read with a sense of the author--who wrote the book, how, and why. Argues that building a schema for various genres and more sophisticated writing techniques strengthens comprehension and enables students to enjoy books on their own. (RS)

Four ideas for language classroom activities are presented, including an exercise in oral discourse analysis, a newspaper-reading activity using the holistic approach, the use of slight phonological changes to turn a title into a joke or play on words, and an exercise looking at varieties of language style. (MSE)

Explains the use of constructing and analyzing analogies as a way to enhance student understanding and recollection of scientific concepts. Offers suggestions for topics including energy activation, phases of matter, electron transitions, equilibrium, covalent bonds, wave and particle duality, reaction types, ideal versus real gases, and oxidation…

The progress of 138 elementary students with specific learning disabilities was followed as they were instructed using the Alphabetic Phonics curriculum. After 3 years, the curriculum produced significant progress in reading comprehension for average and above average students, though below average students did not advance substantially in…

Deaf children need reading programs which emphasize comprehension of meaning rather than syntax and grammar. Successful reading programs can emerge when reading is viewed as a highly social experience, reading materials are meaningful and highly contextualized, and semantic processing in American Sign Language is used to assist reading in English.…

A semantic mapping heuristic is presented which provides an instructional strategy for teaching notetaking, recognizing main ideas and pertinent details, and sorting and organizing them into a report. The strategy enables learning-disabled students to read independently about a topic and subsequently write a report, thus establishing a…