Discusses 11 documents processed into the ERIC system that shed light on the selection of a beginning reading program. (DD)

Two studies examined six-year-olds' use of analogy in spelling: between visible clue words and similar sounding target words and when clue words are not visible. Both studies found that equal numbers of analogies were made between words sharing a rime unit, a consonant-vowel, or a vowel but were not made when only common letters were shared. (KDFB)

Discusses the current status of research-based knowledge about young children's literacy experiences and describes efforts that are being made to bridge the gap between early-childhood education and high-quality schooling in the elementary years. (Author/SLD)

A theory of how children progress through different phases of reading should be an asset both to reading researchers and teachers alike. The present paper provides a brief review of Ehri's influential four phases of reading development: pre-alphabetic, partial alphabetic, full alphabetic and consolidated alphabetic. The model is flexible enough to…

Direct quotation can be a source of meaning in storybook texts for beginning readers. The author of this article sketches the linguistic complexity of direct quotation and offers instructional strategies. Three aspects of direct quotation are examined: the cluster of print features and syntactic characteristics that direct quotation involves, the…

Jedediah Purdy's (2000) "For common things" laments the ironic mode of thought that characterizes our culture's mindset. He calls for a return to devotion, homage, and allegiance rather than what he sees as a jaundiced detachment that has overcome us. Purdy may be on to something, but Alexandra Day (1985) does not seem to adopt his call to a…

Developmental dyslexia is defined as a disorder of learning to read. It is thus critical to examine the neural processes that impair learning to read during the early phase of reading acquisition, before compensatory mechanisms are adapted by older readers with dyslexia. Using electroencephalography-based event-related imaging, we investigated how…

This article systematically reviews research on the achievement outcomes of four types of approaches to improving the reading success of children in the elementary grades: reading curricula, instructional technology, instructional process programs, and combinations of curricula and instructional process. Study inclusion criteria included use of…

This article presents advice for primary teachers on how and when to introduce reading to each student. (Editors/JA)

Discusses a number of current documents that reflect the renewed role of phonics in beginning reading instruction. (TO)

VOLUME II OF THIS INTRODUCTION TO WRITTEN JAPANESE CONTAINS 60 READING PASSAGES IN JAPANESE SCRIPT TO BE USED WITH THE VOCABULARY AND NOTES IN VOLUME I. THE READINGS ARE GRADED AND HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO REPRESENT GOOD MODERN JAPANESE USAGE. THE BEGINNING LESSONS ARE IN EASY INFORMAL STYLES AND ARE CONCERNED WITH THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.…

A discussion of several shortcomings of phonics instruction is aimed at aiding teachers in avoiding such pitfalls as (1) following just one method of phonics instruction whether or not it is helpful to children, (2) treating all children alike and teaching them all the same phonetic elements at the same time, (3) continuing an approach regardless…

Three hundred children from two metropolitan areas were studied for 1 year to determine (1) the relationship between letter-name knowledge and reading success, (2) the relationship between letter-name learning and phonic learning, and (3) the ease and efficiency of vowel identification. The study concluded that the sooner a child learns the letter…

When 23 commonly taught phonics rules were analyzed in terms of consistency and complexity, it was determined that only nine appeared to be useful. (Includes a table showing the consistency of the generalizations.) (HOD)

Rebuttal to an article by Montare, Elman, and Cohen (in a previous issue of this journal) which the author claims used an incorrect model of learning to analyze his research. (HOD)