Maintains that practitioners have a goldmine of evidence upon which to design effective educational programs for beginning and problem readers. Outlines current knowledge of the beginning stages of reading acquisition for both normal and problem readers and relates this knowledge to current language arts curricular practices. (BS)

Submits that children recognize their first words in a different way than they later decode. Compares the hypothesis that sight words are recognized as wholes to the hypothesis that sight words are recognized as parts. Finds support for the idea that first words are recognized by "selective association." (BS)

Examines the Riordan Foundation's successful strategy in establishing computer-assisted reading labs in public and private elementary schools nationwide. The foundation provides challenge grants to applicant schools to purchase equipment for the "Writing to Read" program and assists them in raising additional funds from local businesses.…

Describes activities that use a literature- and activity-based approach to teach phonetic skills effectively without using phonics workbooks and worksheets. Activities relate to special letter days during which new letters are featured, games, literature and poetry, music and nursery rhymes, art, writing, and math. (SM)

Reviews the typical approach (synthetic phonics) to teaching reading in Finland. Suggests that teachers in English-speaking countries can learn from problems Finnish teachers face and vice versa. Finds that, despite a highly regular writing system, Finnish teachers find that a heavy phonics emphasis does not solve their reading instruction…

Discusses the roles of Piagetian and Vygotskyan theories. Reviews longitudinal naturalistic and experimental research on symbolic play's role in literacy development. Finds a limited role of adults in symbolic play and oral language production and that children's use of language to talk about language while interacting with peers is important in…

Discusses the four stages of writing development through which children progress. Discusses what the early writing and reading of children can teach adults about emergent literacy. (MG)

Explores why so many people in Arizona--and elsewhere--have polarized themselves with regard to beginning reading instruction. Finds that at the root of this debate lie fundamental beliefs about the role of authority in child rearing. (SR)

Discusses three children who successfully learned phonics in three very different instructional settings (conventional, whole language, and tutoring in a learning center). Notes that the children developed in similar ways, yet at different rates; the teachers nudged the learners toward literacy development; and writing was a part of the curriculum…

Describes an action plan to help every child read well. The research base for successful reading is outlined, and specific suggestions are made for reading strategies for preschool, beginning reading, and later elementary school programs. Ten strategies are mapped out to achieve the goal of every child reading. (SLD)

Interview with three Ohio directors of Reading Recovery, an intervention that accelerates the literacy acquisition of low-achieving first-grade readers. Discusses the dramatic growth of the program since its pilot year, 1984-85; how Reading Recovery differs from traditional remedial reading programs; the program's theoretical underpinnings and…

Offers brief annotations of 21 picture books that address cultural diversity while offering language that supports beginning readers. Includes a chart noting which language features that support beginning readers are part of each book. (SR)

Investigates some of the biological constraints that shape the process of literacy acquisition. Explores the possibility of isolating processing components of reading which correspond to computational units of equivalent size in the neural architecture. Suggests that the process of literacy acquisition is largely constrained by a specific…

The oral reading of 65 first-graders experiencing difficulties in beginning reading was observed during primary reading instructional time. Findings indicate most instruction for struggling readers was not aligned with recent research on preventing reading difficulties, and even struggling readers receiving reading instruction aligned with best…

Argues that young children have a distinct intuitive ability to process literary experiences, well before they have the ability to decode the symbols on a page. Offers suggestions of ways to work with and develop this capacity when reading stories to young children. (SR)