Cites articles and research suggesting that the ability to learn to read is inherent within any normal child and recommends that teachers use strategies and materials relevant to the child rather than a prestructured reading program. (MM)

Concludes that a grapho-syntactic organization that divided sentences into meaningful units and random units was comprehended significantly better by both good and poor comprehenders than was the regular paragraph format found in basal readers. (FL)

This paper analyzes: (1) the task of learning to read, in the context of cognitive and linguistic tools a child has at his/her disposal; (2) how these tools change with further development and experience; and (3) how teachers can foster this development and growth. Eight research-based recommendations for classroom teaching are given. (PP)

Constance McCullogh, a former president of the International Reading Association who was rendered illiterate by a brain hemorrhage, describes difficulties she faced in learning to read again, and compares her problems to those faced by beginning readers. Advice to reading teachers is included. (PP)

A comparison of the self-selected reading words of a group of preschool children to the words in the first reading books of four widely used basal reading series reveals that the children's self-selected words are more imagery-loaded than the words in the readers. (FL)

Reading is a transactional interplay between the reader and the text. Reading for cognitive understanding and for aesthetic enjoyment are very different processes. Schools tend to emphasize the first and neglect the second, although children first experience language in an aesthetic way. Reading instruction should emphasize both types of reading.…

Reports results of measuring children's comprehension of basal reader stories that had been revised based on notions of the role of prior knowledge in comprehension and the establishment of key story content. (AEA)

Offers suggestions from eight contributors, including (1) activities for speedy readers, (2) conducting a "reading roundup," (3) improving children's math vocabulary, (4) teaching syllabication, (5) displaying student work, and (6) ideas for parents of beginning readers. (FL)

Presents suggestions from five contributors including how to develop middle school students' library skills, teaching early reading through materials from a fast food restaurant chain, and ways to conduct student evaluation of teachers. (FL)

Reviewed theoretical and empirical work in phonological recoding, concluding that phonological representation is used to aid comprehension and suggesting that decoding graphemic information into a phonological form is important for early readers. Asserts that future research should examine differences in the use of visual versus phonological…

Considers the role of oral language in reading and its implications for the primary grades teacher. Provides a number of activities that integrate reading, speaking, listening, and writing. (FL)

Concludes that training in oral language skills may be critical to improving the reading performance of beginning readers. (FL)

Reviews four current approaches to play behavior of young children and concludes that using forms of play such as puppets and body action movements to rehearse story content is effective in aiding aural language comprehension and recall in young children. (FL)

Transcriptions of a teacher using the "look and say" method of teaching reading to her beginners grade are analyzed. Methodological problems are identified and related to the children's view of the reading process and to their views of themselves as learners. The language experience approach is also discussed. (Author/KC)