A case against using traditional orthography (T.O.) as a learning medium and in favor of using the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) is presented. The following points were noted: (1) Most children are taught to read as we and our ancestors before us were by an alphabet which is at least 1,000 years old and took its form from the convenience and…

The advantages of teaching beginning reading with the use of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) and some of the questions which are raised pertaining to its use are discussed. The difficulties which many children experience in learning to read with traditional orthography (T.O.) are pointed out. These include the variety of patterns for any…

Two hundred and eight first graders were assigned to one of three treatment groups. Treatment A received initial instruction in letter names followed by sight words; treatment B received initial instruction in letter names and sounds followed by sight words; and treatment C received initial instruction in sight words followed by letter names and…

Research on reading readiness is listed in two sections: Part 1, 1950 to the present, and Part 2, 1900-1949. Within each section citations are alphabetized according to author's last name and are followed by a descriptive abstract in Part 1 and a brief annotation in Part 2. A broad definition of reading readiness ranging from maturation as a…

The British experiment with the Initial Teaching Alphabet was in its third year at the time of this report on the effectiveness of i.t.a. as a beginning reading program. Two groups of students were compared; one that started learning to read with i.t.a. and one that started with t.o. (traditional orthography). Reading and spelling tests were…

This study replicated and validated the Dolch basic sight vocabulary investigation. Dolch's method of compiling his list of 95 nouns was also replicated. Some discrepancies were found between the replication study and Dolch's investigations--a few words were left off the lists, although they apparently met all the criteria for inclusion, and a…

A result of a three-week reading institute at Northern Illinois University during the summer of 1974, this publication consists of papers focusing on various aspects of reading from a psycholinguistic perspective and strategy lessons to be used in the development of effective and efficient readers. The contents include five sections: "Moving to…

This 34-item annotated bibliography was compiled to help professional educators decide whether reading should be taught in kindergarten and, if so, how the instruction should be conducted. The references include varying and even opposing points of view. The authors of the articles are teachers, administrators, professors, and researchers. (TO)

Recent models of beginning reading processes are described, and the author offers the following summarization: (1) Models at present focus on cognitive aspects of reading; little attempt has been made to incorporate affective aspects into the models. (2) Several different theoretical positions within psychology representing a wide variety of…

A list of 500 proper names, primarily first names, is coded for spelling-to-sound correspondences and stress, and information is given on the type of name (first or last), sex of name, style (nickname or complete name), alternate spellings, pronunciations, and usages. The author points out that proper names comprise roughly 9 percent of the words…

Eight papers presented at the conference for elementary language arts and reading teachers at Indiana University are presented in this bulletin. The papers have been organized to parallel the order of their presentation: "Using Beginning Reading Materials to Individualize" by Theodore Clymer; "Oral Language Misuses" by Kenneth Goodman; "Diagnostic…

Teachers, principals, and other administrators who are considering the adoption of i.t.a. for language arts in the primary grades need objective information about its advantages and its disadvantages. The purpose of this paper is to provide a list of the disadvantages which may be inherent in the adoption of i.t.a. The disadvantages of i.t.a. may…

The purpose of this book is to present in a single source a portrait of the primary reading textbook as a learning motivator and transmitter of a culture's values and behavior standards. Some of the topics covered in the twelve chapters include: a description of the methods and the results of the analyses of 1,307 stories from twelve of the most…

This book is aimed primarily at assisting parents, nursery school teachers, and kindergarten teachers with teaching their children to read prior to beginning first grade. The preface, "The When, Who, Why, What, and How of Early Reading Instruction," discusses the preliminary aspects of early reading instruction and provides background information.…

The purposes of the study were to determine whether phonic analysis training could be used to prepare children to be successful on the Auditory Analysis Test (AAT) of phonic skills and to then relate phonic knowledge to reading performance. Subjects were 40 first graders in suburban Pittsburgh who had attended kindergarten together. A group of 16…